Broken Dreamers
by Nate Grey
Summary: When Belldandy abruptly cancels her contract with Keiichi and returns to Heaven, Peorth is poised to claim him for herself. But what she doesn't know about Keiichi will spell the end of her days as a Goddess.
1. So Fell Lady Peorth

Notes: My first, and most likely last, fanfic for this series. You'll probably thank me for the latter. Be warned, I've only seen the anime, so that's what this is more or less based on.

Summary: When Belldandy abruptly cancels her contract with Keiichi and returns to Heaven, Peorth is poised to claim him for herself. But what she doesn't know about Keiichi will spell the end of her days as a Goddess.

**Broken Dreamers**

**An Ah! My Goddess Miniseries by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

* * *

**Prologue: And So Fell Lady Peorth**

There was no grand announcement, and hardly even a footnote in Yggdrasil's records to mark the event.

Almost twelve years to the day she had descended upon Morisato Keiichi's misfortunate life, Belldandy, Goddess First Class, Second Category, Unlimited, simply returned to Heaven, all too eager to get back to work. Except that she politely (but firmly) refused to return her duties at the Goddess Relief Agency. In fact, she applied for a post at the Earth Help Center. Only one Heavenly Being could even begin to guess why Belldandy would willingly do that... and He wasn't talking.

The whole affair made Peorth rather furious, frankly. Belldandy had the perfect life on Earth, the perfect guy to go along with it, and she'd given it all up just to try and compete with her number one rival, and worse, as a coworker again? It was sort of flattering, but ultimately extremely stupid: typical Belldandy behavior, in other words. Still, this was going a bit too far.

Trying to ask Belldandy what had happened only resulted in the same answer: "I have cancelled my contract with Morisato-san. There is no further need to discuss the matter. Will you join me for some tea, please?"

Peorth had very nearly thrown the teacup in Belldandy's face a few times, but knew it would serve no purpose, except to make herself even angrier when Belldandy failed to react. Who did she think she was, to simply abandon a man as sweet and lovable as Keiichi? Never mind that he was the ONLY man who had ever successfully resisted Peorth's charms for more than a day, and that she herself wouldn't have minded being stuck with him (or on him, or he in her...), there was simply no excuse for giving him up.

And if Belldandy really was that foolish, there was only one suitable action. If she really wanted to compete with Peorth so badly, then Peorth would do the one thing that Belldandy apparently could never, and now no longer cared to do: descend to Earth, and make Keiichi her own, for the rest of his life.

But Peorth was not quite so impulsive as to charge in blind (not anymore, at least). She wanted to know just how bad things had become between Belldandy and Keiichi, and what state of mind Keiichi was currently in as a result. The most obvious sources were, of course, Urd and Skuld. But even that idea proved difficult.

Urd had returned to her duties as Yggdrasil's System Administrator several years prior to Belldandy's own return. Upon trying to get in to see her, Peorth was firmly blocked: Urd could only be seen by appointment now, and her next available slot was almost thirty years into the future. No matter what Peorth tried, there was no way around the waiting list. If the rumors were true, the only ones who could see Urd without an appointment were her parents... and it was quite odd, to see the Daimakaicho traipsing in and out of Urd's office, wiggling her fingers in greeting while at the same time smiling smugly at all the shocked looks she drew. No one could quite explain why Hild had been granted such frequent access to Heaven, although certain rumors claimed it involved a century-spanning game of strip poker, and more tequila than had ever been on Earth at any one time.

Skuld was even more impossible to get a hold of. She came back to Heaven a few years after Belldandy (while Peorth was still waiting to see Urd), but no one (save God) could say exactly where she was working now. Some claimed she had become a Valkyrie, but Peorth thought that was so unlikely that she didn't even bother questioning Lind on the subject.

Peorth was eventually forced to access the file itself in Yggdrasil, but the only thing confirmed there was what Belldandy had admitted from the start: she had been the one to cancel the contract. Any further information was restricted, and access to that could only be approved by God Himself.

This left Peorth with only one more option: she had to get the full story from Keiichi himself. She made no secret of her intentions, hoping Belldandy would simply cave in and tell her everything. But the response she got was not the one she'd been expecting.

Belldandy was not angry in the least. Instead, she merely placed her hands on Peorth's shoulders and said, her voice full of concern, "Be very careful with him, Peorth. He is no longer the same man that we once knew."

That was it. That was all she would say about the man who had shared her life for over a decade.

Not persuaded in the least, Peorth requested some time off, and left for Earth the next day.

She would never return to Heaven again.

* * *

Peorth had not expected Keiichi to be the same. He was in his thirties now, after all, and most likely living alone again had not agreed with him. None of that altered her plans, however. No matter how he had changed, Peorth was certain that deep down, he would still be that scared boy that blushed and ran away from her so many times.

So she decided to greet him by lying across his bed, wearing her skimpiest lingerie. She didn't have to wait long.

An hour before midnight, Keiichi entered his bedroom and froze.

Peorth drank him in with her eyes, and was pleased with what she saw. He was older, of course, but at some point devoted himself to getting into better shape, and succeeded. He was not really bulging with muscles, but they were still easily visible beneath his loose-fitting shirt. The thin glasses he wore now gave him a more mature look, and in no way subtracted from his overall appeal.

"Keiichi-sama," she purred, beckoning him with a finger. "I've been waiting for you."

He blinked and shook his head slightly. "Peorth? What are you doing here? You shouldn't-"

"I'm here for you, just as I always was, Keiichi-sama," she whispered, crawling to the end of the bed.

It was heartbreaking, how fast the confused expression on his face changed to desperate need. "R-Really? You'll stay with me? For as long as I need you?"

"Longer," Peorth promised, opening her arms to him. "If that is your wish."

Keiichi all but tackled her back onto the bed, burying his face in her neck. "Never leave me, Peorth," he choked out, his voice cracking pitifully. "Stay with me always..."

"Of course, Keiichi-sama," she cooed, stroking his hair tenderly. Peorth closed her eyes as blinding light engulfed them for a few seconds. When it faded, she smiled and lifted his head, kissing him softly. "Your wish has been accepted. I'm yours now, always."

"I can't remember the last time I felt so happy," he whispered, tears still leaking from his eyes.

"We'll see if you can remember after we've finished," Peorth murmured, yanking off his shirt and running her hands over his chest.

Keiichi hesitated for a moment. "Peorth... is it... will it be a problem if I still love Belldandy?"

She chuckled and shook her head. "Not at all. If you swear to share even a fraction of that love with me each time we make love, I'm certain I'll be more than satisfied. You must realize, Keiichi-sama, that I was only able to come here because she abandoned you. I am your Goddess now."

To her surprise, Keiichi smiled, more genuinely than he had so far. "I think I could get used to hearing that."

"Later," she promised. "For now, I think it's time you worshipped your Goddess, Keiichi-sama." Peorth drew his head down and claimed his lips again, barely able to resist the urge to smirk and do a victory dance. "I win, Belldandy," she thought to herself as she felt Keiichi's hands traveling down her body.

Neither of them noticed the short, white-haired, brown-skinned girl watching them from a crack in the doorway. "Another little mouse for my collection," she laughed softly, closing the door. "Good work, Kei-kun. You're turning out to be a better pet project than I ever anticipated."

* * *

She could not quite explain it, but Peorth felt different the following morning. It couldn't just be the mere fact she was in bed with Keiichi, although that alone was far more pleasant than she'd ever dreamed.

Keiichi opened his eyes a few minutes later, sighing contentedly when Peorth laid her head on his chest. "So it wasn't a dream..."

"Oh, but it is," Peorth whispered, lightly tickling his stomach. "A dream that will never, ever end, Keiichi-sama."

He sighed again, closing his eyes. "Listen, Peorth," he said, suddenly sounding very serious. "Maybe you shouldn't touch me too much while we're not actually... you know."

She laughed. "Don't worry, I rather enjoy touching you."

"No, I mean it." Keiichi sat up in bed, avoiding her curious gaze when she draped herself over his back.

"I know this is new to you, Keiichi-sama, but the touching is almost required. And I thought you liked that about me?"

"I do, but it might dangerous, for both of us."

Peorth frowned and slowly let go of him. "What are you trying to tell me, Keiichi-sama?"

"I'm sorry, Peorth," he muttered, lowering his head. "I should've told you this last night, before we made the contract."

"About what?"

"About my angel."

There was a long pause, and then Peorth asked in a trembling voice, "You're joking, right? Humans don't have angels."

"I know they don't," Keiichi replied as a crimson, vaguely humanoid shape with wings appeared just over his head. "I had to give that up years ago."

"W-What do you mean?" Peorth asked, unable to rid herself of the fear building in her heart. "Keiichi-sama...?"

"I guess it doesn't really matter. We have a contract now," Keiichi said as he turned to face her, the triangular mark now exposed on his forehead burning an angry red. "And we demons take our contracts very seriously."

Peorth opened her mouth, either to deny the claim, or perhaps to scream. But she never got the chance, as Keiichi's angel surged over her, burying each of her senses beneath a flood of enormous demonic power. All Peorth could do was faint and allow the darkness to take her.

**End of Part 1.**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Skuld of the Valkyries**

Skuld always tried to keep Belldandy and Keiichi apart, never realizing that she was more interested in keeping the less obvious one to herself. When Belldandy returned to Heaven, Skuld seized her chance to have Keiichi for herself, and nearly lost her life in the process.

Endnotes:

Let me start off by defending a few points I know will come up.

1) Don't let the new names for Keiichi throw you. Belldandy is trying to distance herself from him, and Peorth... really isn't (and wouldn't you feel special if she did it to you?).

2) I'm basing this story on the idea that Keiichi is 19 when he meets Belldandy. Even if you wanted to argue with that, there would most likely only be a few years difference.

3) Peorth isn't dead. Just so I don't get any threats (well, not over that, at least).

Note that I have never, EVER done a story for this fandom, so PLEASE feel free to comment on every little fact I may have gotten wrong, particularly concerning proper names for things and angels.


	2. Skuld of the Valkyries

Notes: I have this old book on angels that I glance at occasionally, and I was trying to get ideas for this story when I stumbled across Skuld's name in the Valkyrie entry. Oddly enough, this was AFTER I'd decided to pair Skuld with them, which was a bit freaky...

**Broken Dreamers**

**An Ah! My Goddess Miniseries by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Part 2: Skuld of the Valkyries**

* * *

Skuld woke up in a cold sweat, the nightmarish vision still fresh in her mind.

If she had ever thought that Keiichi, of all people, could be the foundation of something so evil, she would've killed him herself.

No matter how much she loved him. And that, as it always had been, was the real problem.

Pushing that thought away, she rolled over in bed and tried to remember what she was supposed to be doing today.

A soft whirring provided the answer as a miniature, humanoid robot rolled into her bedroom. A glance was all it needed to obtain the necessary data on her current condition; a small fan immediately rose out of its head, cooling Skuld's sweaty face with a gentle breeze.

She managed a weak smile and gave the robot an affectionate pat. "Thank you, Banpei-kun."

The robot chirped in response and extended its hand, holding out her daily schedule.

Skuld frowned at what she saw there. Just after her morning training with Lind, someone had penciled in a visit from Urd. In Urd's handwriting, no less, complete with a tiny Urd doodle sticking out its tongue at her. Even worse, it was too late to correct this: by now, Lind had approved the change, so there would be no getting out of it.

It was not that Skuld didn't like Urd, or even still love her. It was just that Keiichi had changed them all, and in Skuld's opinion, not for the better. Urd was the only one that had been wise enough to abandon ship before she could get hurt, and Skuld envied her that. But Urd had still changed, and she was no longer the annoying older sister that Skuld so desperately missed. True, she was still annoying, but not because she was still lazy and childish: quite the opposite, in fact. Urd was so dedicated to her work now that they almost never saw each other outside of their respective jobs. The last time had been a few years ago, when Skuld needed permission to link Banpei AO to Yggdrasil. Normally, there would have been enormous amounts of red tape to go through, but Urd had bypassed it all, in exchange for a mere peck on the cheek, which Skuld had given with great reluctance. It was so unlike Urd to use extortion to gain affection from her, and beyond that, it was far more like her mother.

That could only be a bad sign.

Skuld forced the thought from her mind and dragged herself out of bed, frowning when she noticed that her clothes were sticking to her. "Banpei-kun, is the room sufficiently cloaked?"

The robot chirped in a distinctly positive way.

Skuld summoned a large water bubble and walked through it, effectively removing both the sweat and the clothes from her body. She sent the bubble towards the bathroom and turned to the robot, who was gazing up at her with the slightest hint of a blush on his face. "Banpei-kun, make sure my mallet is ready, please. I'll be training soon."

The robot chirped again, but this time with a wavering quality in the sound.

For a moment, Skuld thought about teasing him a little, but decided against it. If the conversation with Urd went like she thought it would, she might not get around to fixing a fried circuit until tomorrow. "Alright, you can go."

Banpei spun around and rolled out of the room as fast as his wheels could carry him.

Skuld smiled after him, once again glad that she'd thought to bring Banpei home with her. After some major modifications, she'd produced a whole line of Banpei robots to make her life easier. Most of them just helped around the house, but there were several designed for battle. Banpei AO, for example, was so massive and powerful that it had been charged with defending all of Heaven from attack. It was Skuld's masterpiece, and the very project that had earned her a spot among the Valkyries.

The transfer had not been easy. While there were plenty of opportunities for Skuld to utilize her technological genius, she had never exactly been a battle ace. Skuld's title was only that of Observer: she accompanied certain Valkyries on missions, analyzed their battles closely, and, when it was allowed, used that data to create superior battle robots. She had gotten almost none of the traditional Valkyrie training, and as such, was given a holy shield to defend herself. Most often, she was paired with Lind, the Valkyrie she was most familiar with. But being familiar with each other only helped so much: Lind was devoted to her job, and not only did she treat Skuld like a coworker, she held Skuld to certain standards that someone without proper training would be hard pressed to meet. At the same time, Lind had taken it upon herself to beat some training into Skuld, which was as brutal as it was effective.

Skuld put up with it for the very same reason that she never bothered to contact Belldandy or Urd: her sisters felt like strangers now, and Lind, no matter how unfeeling or strict she might seem, was the only person she felt close to anymore.

* * *

Despite how little she enjoyed training, Skuld was actually humming softly as she approached the designated area for the day. She took a few practice swings with her mallet, being sure to avoid hitting the faithful Banpei drone following behind her.

But when she arrived at the open field, expecting to see Lind waiting for her, Skuld got a rather unpleasant shock.

Urd was early.

Worse than that, Lind and Urd were sitting side by side on a bench, talking.

Skuld briefly considered running away. But the Banpei drone, which she had programmed for punctuality, rolled past her and went right up to Lind, so as to inform her that Skuld was on time. The conversation stopped at once, and Urd's gaze fell on Skuld.

There was a long moment of tense silence, before Skuld finally sighed and inclined her head respectfully. "Nee-san, you're early."

Whatever Urd had been hoping for, by the way her face fell, it wasn't that.

Lind glanced between them before standing. "Skuld, I think we can afford to skip training this once. It'll give you more time to talk with Urd."

Skuld opened her mouth to protest, but Lind cut her off.

"Unless you want to go ahead and train. While Urd watches."

Skuld paled. The last thing she wanted was for Urd to watch her flounder around while Lind beat her up. "Fine, I'll talk to her," she muttered reluctantly.

"I thought you might." Lind briefly touched Skuld's shoulder as she walked past. "It's true that you are a soldier now, but you still have duties to your family that must be honored."

"You aren't going to call me 'nee-san' the whole time, are you?" Urd asked once they were alone.

"Shouldn't I?" Skuld countered.

"You never did before."

"You were different then."

"We all were. But I wish you'd call me by my name, like you used to."

"Why does it matter?"

Urd sighed heavily. "Because I don't feel like myself when you don't. The same way Belldandy wouldn't feel like herself if you called her anything else. Can't you give me that much?"

"Why should I have to give anyone anything?!" Skuld snapped. "I was the one who suffered the most!"

"Don't you want things to go back to the way they were?"

"They can't ever be like that again!"

"All the more reason to try, Skuld." Urd patted the spot next to her, inviting Skuld to sit down. "Are you finally ready to tell me what happened that day? I promise that you'll never have to say it again. Carrying that burden inside you isn't helping you or Noble Scarlet heal. Please let me help you, my precious little sister."

"You... you'll tell Onee-sama for me?" Skuld asked hesitantly.

"I suspect that she already knows most of it, but yes. I'll talk to her for you."

"But what if she won't forgive me?"

Urd smiled and shook her head. "She's Belldandy. All she does is forgive people."

* * *

Belldandy gave no advance notice that she was leaving that fateful day.

She woke up at the same time, made breakfast, and even put together a healthy snack for Mara, if she should happen to show up. Skuld had always thought that feeding Mara was counterproductive, especially considering how much trouble she'd caused. It was one thing when Hild was the enemy: they literally could do nothing to her, except ruin her schemes and hope that she sulked long enough to allow them a little peace. But Mara was a constant pest, and the idea of feeding her didn't sit right with Skuld. Urd had tried explaining it once, but even she didn't fully support the idea, although that was more because it meant less food for her.

Urd was gone, though, and while Skuld always claimed not to miss her, it wasn't true. Part of her needed to constantly fight and compete, and she just couldn't do that with Belldandy. Keiichi tried, but it wasn't the same: he couldn't hop right back up after getting hit with a bomb, nor could he summon lightning. He only made Skuld feel worse by lying on the ground and twitching.

Skuld didn't realize it at the time, but Urd's absence was also bad for Keiichi and Belldandy. Urd was always pushing them together, offering Keiichi tips on how to stay on Belldandy's good side, and keeping others from interfering. Without Urd, the couple actually began to have disagreements, and usually over the same things. Being attacked, possessed, and cursed so often had left Keiichi more than a little paranoid, and with only two goddesses around to protect him, he was justified in feeling a little exposed. But Belldandy continued to treat most of their enemies as sometime-friends. This was fine with Hild (almost necessary, really), but every other enemy took advantage of it (and Keiichi, when possible).

Skuld actually felt the same way that Keiichi did, but she wasn't about to side against Belldandy, either. And there was no real way to win an argument against Belldandy without Urd on the opposing side.

At the same time, Belldandy was all too aware that so many bad things happened to Keiichi only because of his connection to her. True, bad things had happened to him before they'd met, but those were at least limited to non-demonic incidents, which were easily handled with a prayer or two on her part.

But on that day, there was no fight. Belldandy moved about the temple in her usual cheerful manner, sent Keiichi off to work with a kiss and a wave, and cleaned up as she always did. And when Keiichi got home that evening, she told him that she wouldn't be there tomorrow morning, and served dinner.

Keiichi took it badly, which was to say that he didn't say a word. He was tired of fighting, tired of suffering a whole new set of misfortunes, and, though he never said as much, definitely tired of not moving beyond hugs and occasional kisses. But his heart still wanted Belldandy, and Skuld didn't think less of him when he went to his room so that they wouldn't see him cry.

"You know he'll never get over you, Onee-sama," Skuld told Belldandy as they ate dinner alone. "He couldn't, even if he wanted to."

"He'll manage," Belldandy said confidently, composed but not smiling. "Keiichi-san is very resilient. And he'll have you, Skuld."

It was the last thing that Belldandy said to her for a long time, and perhaps that was why Skuld chose to read far too much into it. At first, she'd just assumed that Belldandy wanted her to remain behind so that Keiichi wouldn't be all alone. But the more Skuld watched Keiichi drift aimlessly through his life, even with her friendship to comfort him, the more she began to wonder if Belldandy's words hadn't held another meaning. She resisted the idea at first, but Keiichi was a man in pain, and without her sisters around, Skuld came to realize that the attraction she'd once felt for him was not so much gone as it was buried under loyalty to Belldandy. And seeing the mess that Belldandy had left him in, that loyalty began to weaken.

* * *

Skuld had never seduced a man before. About the closest she'd come was using her cuteness to get her way. That had stopped working on Keiichi a long time ago, but he still couldn't stand to see a girl crying. But that wouldn't help here, and Keiichi probably thought of her more as a little sister than a woman.

But everyone was more honest in their sleep, and that was when Skuld made her move.

Slipping into Keiichi's bed was not the best idea in the world, but he wasn't awake to stop her. Likewise, he didn't pull away when she draped her arm over his chest and laid her head on his shoulder. Nor did he wake up when the red cloud sprang out of his chest and sank its clawed hands into Skuld's arms. He only woke up, for some reason, the first time that the demon pierced Noble Scarlet's wing.

Skuld could only guess that Noble Scarlet had known instinctively that they were both in danger. Apparently, that knowledge alone had given her the power she needed to appear, fully formed, and defend Skuld from the demon. But there was no comparison between the strength of the two sides: each second that the demon was in contact with the angel was pure agony for her, and it was worse for Skuld because she had to both feel and watch it.

The struggle ended abruptly when Keiichi threw himself out of the bed. The demon, still attached to his chest, was dragged along with him, but even then Keiichi had to physically restrain it, as it kept reaching out for the angel.

Noble Scarlet collapsed onto the bed, writhing in pain. Large, black sores immediately formed on her body wherever the demon had touched her, but the worst damage was in her right wing, which was riddled with the sores and took great effort to move at all.

Skuld didn't know what to do. On some level, she knew that ensuring Noble Scarlet's survival had to be her top priority. Before long, those terrible sores would most likely appear on her as well, and then she'd be just as powerless. But she had no idea where the demon had come from, or how long Keiichi could hold it back, or if it could damage human flesh in the same way. Then she saw something that made the choice for her.

"No," Keiichi said softly with his head bowed. "You can't have her. You can't ever hurt Skuld."

The moment her name passed his lips, the demon calmed down and vanished back into his chest.

She didn't want to believe that such a horrible creature could've come from Keiichi, that he had known of its existence and never said a word, that he would allow it to harm Noble Scarlet so gravely. But her angel's voice, like a rapidly fading flare in her head, kept chanting one word over and over again.

"Run!"

With the evidence in front of her, it was the one thing that still made sense. Skuld gathered Noble Scarlet in her arms as quickly and carefully as she could, not daring to look at Keiichi for fear of what she might see. The angel clung to her desperately, and with the one wing she could still move, launched them both towards the door, weaving unsteadily through the air.

She might very well have imagined it, but Skuld thought she could hear Keiichi screaming in pain as she and Noble Scarlet flew into the night sky. But one look at her angel's now useless wing was all Skuld needed to do to harden her heart against his cries.

* * *

"Belldandy will forgive you," Urd said the moment Skuld finished her story.

"How do you know?"

"Because you didn't ask Noble Scarlet to come out. That means your life was in danger. Belldandy would just be happy that you survived. But this does leave us with some problems. Did those sores ever appear on you?"

Skuld shook her head. "I was afraid they would, but no."

"Are they still on her, though?" Urd asked carefully.

Skuld looked down. "Only on her wing. It never really healed."

"Any side effects?"

"She... doesn't like to fly anymore. She can if she has to, but it's hard for her. Really, she doesn't like to come out at all, but she will if I ask her to. I can tell that part of her power is just... gone. The demon must have absorbed it. I think that's what it was really after."

Urd didn't speak for a long moment, silently considering everything she'd heard. Finally, she cleared her throat and asked softly, "Will she come out now? So that I can see her?"

Skuld looked inward, and wasn't surprised by what she found. "She doesn't want to. She... oh, Noble Scarlet, you're not...!" Skuld shook her head, blinking away tears. "She thinks she's ugly, compared to your angel. She won't come out..."

Sighing, Urd gently took her sister's hand. "I didn't mean to upset either of you. I wanted to see how extensive the damage was, but if you can function this well, it can wait. Has anyone looked at her?"

"Just Lind. She isn't comfortable enough around anyone else." Skuld paused and stared down at her lap. "Urd, is... she always going to be like this? I know I complained, back when I first got her, but I'd give anything to have those days back."

"I don't know, Skuld," Urd admitted. "I've never heard of a case quite like this. And I wouldn't dare put you at risk by trying anything without more information. But I think your talking to Noble Scarlet on a regular basis could only help. Building up her confidence might even bring out some power that neither of you was aware of. In the meantime, I'll keep looking for answers on my own." Smiling faintly, Urd gently poked Skuld's cheek. "Keep up the good work, sis. You're really growing into a tough little cookie."

Blushing, Skuld was barely able to suppress the childish urge to swat Urd's finger away. In any case, the older goddess vanished in a crack of thunder before the younger one could do much of anything. "She really is getting more like her mother," Skuld grumbled.

* * *

That night, in the privacy of her bedroom, Skuld called to her angel again. And just as she'd hoped, Noble Scarlet emerged at once, settling down next to her on the bed.

"You're not ugly," Skuld whispered, staring into her angel's eyes. "You could never be ugly. You're the most beautiful, brave angel there ever was!"

Noble Scarlet offered a tiny, sad smile, and then was nearly bowled over as Skuld embraced her.

"You're not ugly!" Skuld sobbed, burying her face in the angel's shoulder. "You're not!"

Noble Scarlet merely returned the hug, folding her good wing around Skuld's trembling shoulders. She knew that at a certain point, her thoughts and feelings should not only have been obvious to Skuld, but basically reflections of Skuld's own emotions. But there had been a certain distance between them from the start, and though their bond had deepened, that distance remained. And because words were so inefficient to express an angel's thoughts, Noble Scarlet could offer none to comfort Skuld. Nor could she think of any way to make Skuld understand that the loss of confidence in their power had scarred them both worse than the demon had.

* * *

**Next Chapter: Urd, Hell's Advocate**

Hild is a lot better at making inescapable contracts and wielding immeasurable power than she is at being a mother. And though Urd has sworn not to, those are two things that she will always admire about her mother. But daily lunch dates with the Daimakaicho are a small price for a goddess to pay, right?

* * *

Endnotes:

The AO in Banpei AO stands for Alpha Omega. I toyed with the idea of coming up with an appropriate new license for Skuld. But, after reading theories on them, I understand them even less than I did before, so use your own imagination.

And yes, there's a reason why Keiichi's angel has no definite shape yet.

The chapters will most likely all be short. This is a miniseries in every sense of the word: short chapters, each focusing primarily on one character, and probably no more than six chapters in all, if I have this planned right.


	3. Urd, Hell's Advocate

Notes: Urd and Hild's relationship has progressed a great deal here, but that will be explained.

**Broken Dreamers**

**An Ah! My Goddess Miniseries by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Part 3: Urd, Hell's Advocate**

* * *

It had taken a long time for Urd to realize it, but now she felt fairly confident in one particular fact.

Contracts were from the devil.

It was the only thing that made sense. Humans used them to cheat each other, demons used them to cheat everyone, and Heaven used them, oddly enough, to keep from being cheated. Urd thought they were a little behind the times in that regard, but it was not something she was willing to argue for, despite her new position: that of Hell's Advocate.

She had thought her mother was joking, but no. Whenever Urd was either in Heaven, or representing Heaven, she was required to wear a blood-red sash with the actual words printed upon it. As a private joke, Hild had written the words in Low Speech, where "Hell's Advocate" supposedly also translated into "Mommy's Little Girl." Urd had no real way of proving this false, though for all she knew, Hild had invented the language entirely for that purpose. Either way, she was contractually bound to wear the sash, so it couldn't be helped.

To Urd's eternal frustration, the Almighty had not opposed the idea.

"I know this is unpleasant for you, Urd, but so long as your mother asks for nothing unreasonable, you should do what she asks. Your pride as a goddess is important, but it has gotten you into trouble more than a few times. Having it diminished somewhat may not be an entirely bad thing."

All of which meant that whenever a decision in Heaven impacted Hell in any way, Urd had to speak on Hell's behalf. She was entirely against it, at first. But as more people in Heaven began to associate Urd with Hild, and beyond that, Hell itself, she actually began to get treated like a resident of Hell. And while Urd was used to a certain amount of scorn in Heaven, she began to feel insulted on Hild's behalf, too. Even her demon half was not without its pride, after all. No one else could really understand that, so when Hild innocently proposed the addendum of daily lunch meetings to their contract, Urd welcomed the chance to vent.

Hild turned out to be a surprisingly good listener. She was used to Urd being upset with her, anyway, and this was hardly any different. Except that these days, Urd was less angry with her, and more angry with everyone else.

And that was just the way that Hild had wanted it, after all.

* * *

"Urd-sama, the Daimakaicho has just arrived. Should I send her in?"

Leaning back in her chair, Urd sighed and stared at the miniature Banpei head floating in front of her. "Yes, Banpei-kun. And if you could manage to catch her off guard and slam into her head, I'd really appreciate it."

"Yes, Urd-sama." The Banpei head zoomed out of the door, and Urd groaned as she heard the telltale sound of a muted explosion. She went through no less than four of the things a week.

A moment later, Hild walked into the office, brushing some imaginary soot from her shoulders. "Urd-chan, you really should have someone from maintenance look into those little robots of yours. They never seem to work right."

Urd offered an obviously fake smile. "I know, but Skuld makes them for me. It'd hurt her feelings if I gave them back or didn't use them."

"Well, we must be considerate of poor Skuld-chan," Hild agreed. "I don't suppose she's shown any interest in replacing her damaged angel with a demon?"

Urd frowned at her. "While we're on the subject, I-"

"Urd-chan!" Hild interrupted, pouting fiercely. "You haven't greeted me properly yet! Do you really expect me to go right into business?"

Scowling, Urd rose from her chair and approached Hild, who was now positively beaming. But the smile faded once Urd delivered her usual greeting.

"Your lowly offspring offers you greetings, All-Knowing and All-Seeing Great Grand Mother of the Unknown Realm."

"You're a horrible tease, Urd-chan," Hild grumbled, but she accepted the kisses that Urd placed on each cheek without further complaint.

"You did ask for it," Urd replied with a smirk. "Now, back to what I was saying-"

"So Skuld-chan does want a demon?" Hild asked eagerly.

"No, of course not. This isn't about Skuld, it's about Kei-"

"We should do something different for lunch. Ooh, will you let me cook for you? I promise not to poison or burn anything TOO badly, and... why are you looking at me like that?"

Urd closed her eyes, counted to ten, and opened them. The confused, supposedly innocent expression was still on her mother's face.

She was good.

"You did it," Urd sighed, shaking her head. "You're behind the whole thing, aren't you?"

"What whole thing?"

"Keichii's demon. Skuld's angel. Even Belldandy leaving. Everything!"

"Are you asking or telling?" Hild responded with a straight face.

"Does it really matter at this point?"

"Of course it does. It's one thing if you're accusing me, and my silence leads you to an incorrect assumption. It's quite another if I myself lie to you."

Urd rolled her eyes. "What's the difference? You've lied to me before!"

"We didn't have a contract before."

"And the fact that I'm your daughter never once encouraged you to tell me the truth?"

"It's not that I never told you truth," Hild explained patiently. "It's that I withheld the entire truth. Do you really think I'd be the Daimakaicho if I always told the truth? That's impossible."

"So you haven't lied to me once since we made our contract?" Urd demanded.

"Not outright, no. Again, I just haven't told you the entire truth." Hild smiled and patted Urd on the head. "But I don't do that with anyone, so don't feel too bad, my little Urd-chan."

It took amazing strength of will for Urd not to grind her teeth. "So what do I have to do to get the truth out of you?"

"That depends. Are you asking as a goddess, a subservient demon, or my precious little Urd-chan?"

Urd started to answer, then stopped herself. "Would your answer be different for each one?"

Hild giggled. "Of course!"

"...the last one, then."

"No, no, no! You have to SAY it! It's no fun for me unless you say it!"

Grumbling all the while, Urd reluctantly hugged her mother. "Kaa-san, your Urd-chan wants-"

"AHEM!"

"...your precious little Urd-chan wants to know what you've been up to."

"Oh, I could never say no to my precious little Urd-chan when she asks so nicely!" Hild squealed loudly.

Urd winced. "Can we just get to the part where you fouled everything up, please?"

"But that's where you're wrong, Urd-chan," Hild disagreed. "In fact, I made things better, if only for Keiichi."

* * *

The very moment she'd learned of Belldandy's leaving Keiichi, Hild had dispatched an avatar to keep an eye on him. Humans in pain tended to do drastic things, especially one that had known and lost the love of a goddess. Of course, Hild never doubted that Belldandy still loved Keiichi. She'd no doubt left him for some noble reason that few other than herself would ever understand or accept. What mattered was that Keiichi felt like he had lost Belldandy's love, and the impact on him was nothing short of devastating.

To his credit, Keiichi almost never showed any outward signs of his pain, at least not in front of anyone other than Skuld. He didn't want his friends to worry, or, perhaps, try to stop him if he should ever attempt something drastic.

Rather fittingly, Hild's avatar was the only person around when Keiichi finally did do something foolish. One day, he was walking along a narrow path overlooking the ocean, stumbled a little, and nearly fell to his death on the rocks thirty feet below. Afterwards, he stared down at the rocks in stunned horror. But while the horror faded, the stunned expression remained, even as he stepped towards the edge again.

The only thing that stopped him from going over was a small, brown hand clutching the back of his shirt.

"You don't really want to do that, Kei-kun."

He turned his head and stared down at the child-sized version of Hild, noting her unusually serious expression. "How would you know?"

"You think giving up Urd was easy? That I never regretted it? Well, I did. But I didn't want her growing up as an orphan. Suppose someone told her that I never loved her. Who would be around to say anything different? In your case, Kei-kun, does Skuld-chan know that you love her? That you appreciate her staying with you, even though she has no real reason to?"

Keiichi frowned at her. "Of course she knows that. Skuld knows everything there is to know about me by now."

"But knowing you're loved, and actually hearing it, are two very different things, Kei-kun. I know that part of Urd loves me, but I would give anything to hear her say it even once. I know you still feel that way about Belldandy. Do you really think Skuld-chan is any different? Girls are pretty similar in that regard: they need to hear you say it."

"Skuld doesn't need anything from me," he muttered. "She's only still here because she feels sorry for me."

"Really," Hild murmured. "Shall we test that theory?" She loosened her grip a bit, allowing Keiichi to lean closer to the edge. "I want you to imagine how Skuld-chan would react if she found out you were dead, Kei-kun."

She knew it was not something Keiichi had ever stopped to consider before, and from the look on his face, immediately understood why he hadn't. It was simply too horrible for him to imagine, the thought of causing Skuld such pain with his selfishness. She had stayed with him, turning down the chance to go home, return to the work she was born to do, and be with her sisters. Taking his own life was no way to repay such devotion.

"Well?" Hild asked after a moment. "Do you want some help, or should I let go?"

"I... I'd like some help, please, Hild-san."

Hild frowned as she pulled him away from the ledge. Technically, as a mere human, he should've been addressing her with far more respect, especially since she'd saved his life. On the other hand, only demons tended to use proper titles when she was in this form, as other beings might not have recognized her, and Keiichi was a special case. And he didn't really mean anything by it, so she could overlook it, for now.

"Why did you save me?" he asked suddenly. "You didn't have to."

"I didn't want you to die," Hild replied simply, grasping his hand. "Now, come on. It's getting late, and poor Skuld-chan must be worried sick about you."

Keiichi opened his mouth, most likely to say that Skuld would never admit to being worried about him, but thought better of it and allowed Hild to drag him back to the temple.

Actually, she left him at the steps leading into the temple, having tangled with Banpei enough times to know that despite how easy it was for Skuld to rebuild the robot, she always took someone destroying it personally.

Had he known what awaited him, Keiichi might've asked Hild to stay and protect him.

He got one foot beyond the stairs when a loud alarm when off, and several hidden spotlights popped out of the ground and trained their beams on him. Keiichi was still glancing around in shock when a Skuld Bomb hit the ground between his feet, exploding on impact. The force sent him flying ten feet straight up in the air, and while he was flapping his arms wildly and wondering if he really was meant to die that day, Keiichi saw a horrible sight.

The back wall of the garage was blown apart as something massive and oddly familiar rolled out. In the few extra hours that Keiichi had been gone, Banpei had been converted into a tank. And sitting on top of it, glaring death at him, was Skuld.

Although she at least had the decency to wait until he landed, the next few hours were filled with nothing but running and pain for Keiichi. Skuld used up her entire supply of bombs (not that he had ever known her to run out before), and by the time she was done, the flower patches that Belldandy had once carefully tended were little more than smoking craters.

Keiichi ended up facedown on the ground, most of his clothing burned away. He heard Skuld marching towards him, but was far too tired to run anymore. Anyway, at that point, he seriously doubted she could hurt him much worse than she already had.

But Skuld was no longer interested in hurting him. Instead, she yanked him up by what remained of his collar and stared into his face.

He had been expecting the same devilish look that he'd seen for hours, but what he saw now was completely different.

"Keiichi, you jerk!" Skuld shouted, thick tears rolling down her face. "Do you know how late you were?! I thought something terrible had happened to you! Don't you ever make me worry like that again!"

He could only stare at her in wonder. Keiichi had just assumed that, being a goddess, she'd known what he attempted and was angry at him. He'd never imagined that Skuld was simply being Skuld: overreacting to something as simple as his being late. But beyond that, something she'd said finally sunk in. She'd been worried about him. She actually cared enough to worry about him. It seemed Hild had been right all along.

"Skuld, I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear, wrapping his arms around her.

"Shut up! I didn't give you permission to hug me!" Skuld bawled, despite the fact that she was hugging him back just as tightly. "I even made us dinner, and it's cold now!"

Keiichi couldn't help smiling into her hair. Skuld was a decent cook, but for some reason, she had only ever learned to cook for people under the age of twelve. It was a little odd, but one of the many things he adored about her. "Is it fish sticks and macaroni again? I really like those."

"No! It's cold ravioli, and you'll eat it that way and like it!"

"I'm sure I will," he agreed, wincing as she burst into tears again. "Uh, what did I say?"

"Nothing! Just shut up and wash up for dinner!" she ordered, pushing him inside.

Hild smirked from her seat atop the Banpei tank, now that it was completely out of ammo. "Hmm. Maybe I won't have to do anything else at all."

* * *

"...what about Belldandy?" Urd asked after Hild was done. She hadn't known the direction Keiichi's thoughts had taken, or at least, she had hoped she was wrong about them. But Hild's story had left her middle sister out entirely, which was rather suspicious.

"Didn't I tell you already? I had nothing to do with Bell-chan going back to Heaven."

Urd stared at her intently, but as far as she could tell, Hild wasn't lying. Of course, that was rather like a first-time boxer trying to read the heavyweight champion of the world with a glance, so Urd would've been more surprised if she had been able to gain any useful information.

But she had to be sure.

"Do you swear by the Ninth Circ-"

"Urd-chan," Hild interrupted, gently placing a hand on her daughter's cheek. "I didn't do anything to make Bell-chan go back to Heaven. I promise."

Urd lowered her gaze, angry with herself for feeling ashamed of her mistrust, and with Hild for making her feel that way. She started to pull her head away, but then Hild's free hand came up to rest against the other side of Urd's face.

"I didn't cause Bell-chan to break her contract... but did you ever consider that Someone Else may have?"

Urd's eyes widened, as she hadn't missed the emphasis. "You don't mean...?"

"I have my suspicions. And this is Bell-chan we're talking about. There aren't very many things that would make her act this way."

"Wait! But you WERE the one that gave Keiichi that demon!" Urd snapped, yanking Hild's hands off of her. "You didn't deny that!"

Hild shook her head. "What I gave Keiichi was a companion, to keep away his loneliness. I didn't really think Skuld would stay with him for very long, despite her good intentions. She's still young, and she has a bad habit of overreacting."

"What she reacted to was your damned demon trying to kill her!"

"It wouldn't have killed her."

Urd blinked. "How do you know?"

"Because that isn't in its nature. It would never kill a goddess. If that was its purpose, then Skuld-chan WOULD be dead. Obviously, she isn't."

"Then what does it do?"

"I don't know if I should say," Hild murmured, turning away. "You yelled at me."

"Mother," Urd said softly, "please. She's my little sister."

Hild sighed. "Then you should know that I would never put her in mortal danger. I couldn't even if I wanted to. We're all bound by those particular rules."

"So what, exactly, did that demon try to do to Skuld? Why hasn't Noble Scarlet recovered? And why did you really give it to Keiichi in the first place?"

For a long moment, Hild only stared at her daughter. "Kei-kun has that demon because he was the only one who could support it. But I didn't give it to him, exactly. I drew it out of the hole in his heart. Only a man loved by three goddesses, who feels such deep despair that his life holds no meaning to him, could fall low enough to produce such a creature. I'll admit that once being infected by the Ultimate Destruction Program may have helped it get a foothold, but Kei-kun's feelings of rejection kept it alive. And as I said before, it wouldn't have killed Skuld-chan or her angel. It simply would've brought them over to my side. That is a Goddess Devourer's purpose, after all: to drain a goddess's power, so that she's all the more likely to agree to becoming a demon, in order to regain that lost power."

"I don't believe you," Urd whispered, shaking her head. "Keiichi would never willingly support such a demon!"

"In most cases, no, he would not. But this demon is an exception, like Kei-kun himself. It assumes any shape that his lonely heart truly desires. Now do you understand why he doesn't think of it as a demon? It never looks like one."

Urd did understand, although she wished she didn't. Because she was starting to suspect that Belldandy's decision, if it was hers at all, had already cost them Keiichi, and nearly Skuld as well. At the very least, however, she knew that getting rid of Keiichi's demon wouldn't be a simple thing.

Because attacking Belldandy, or in this case, a demon that no doubt looked exactly like her, was only going to get very complicated, very fast.

**End of Part 3.**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Belldandy, Goddess for Hire**

Is the course of life determined by the choices one makes, or the choices someone else has made for them? Belldandy ponders this, along with her cat and her broom, as she grants wishes for some familiar faces on Earth.

* * *

**Endnotes:**

Wow, I don't have any this time. Odd. So I can make some up!

...in other words, Keiichi is more susceptible to demon cooties because he's been infected previously. Or something like that, only more clever-sounding.

Skuld could no doubt invent a Banpei that cooks. She'd almost have to in order to survive on her own, I think. But it's not really home cooked if a robot does it, so it'd be missing something.

I could use this space to argue how a Goddess Devourer is distinctly different from an angel-eater. The short version is that mine is MUCH more pleasant to look at. At any rate, I hope the story summary makes more sense now.


	4. Belldandy, Goddess for Hire

**Broken Dreamers**

**An Ah! My Goddess Miniseries by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Part 4: Belldandy, Goddess for Hire**

* * *

It had cost him his fortune, and quite possibly his soul, but Aoshima Toshiyuki finally had what he'd been searching for the past several years.

He had the phone number of the Goddess Relief Agency.

For a service supposedly meant to aid mankind, he found it was surprisingly difficult to contact.

He had never considered the possibility that only certain people were ever meant to obtain that privilege, and that he was not among them. In his mind, nothing was beyond him, so long as he'd had the money to buy it.

How fitting it was to him, that the voice on the other end was just the one he'd been searching for.

"Good afternoon, Aoshima-san. I've been expecting your call. I'll be there in person to assist you in just a moment."

Before he could even put the phone down, a strong wind blew his bedroom window open, and in the next instant, she stood before him.

She was just as lovely as the first time he'd seen her.

Although she hadn't been carrying a broom then, or the sinister-looking black cat currently perched on her shoulder.

"Belldandy," Aoshima said, a smile stretching across his face. "You're here to grant my wish, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then you won't need those clothes, because my wish is for you to be my slave!"

He was greatly impressed that her serene expression never wavered. "I understand," she replied, "and I accept your wish. From this day forward, I will be your slave."

Grinning, he stepped forward and reached for her.

"But only in your mind," Belldandy added, tapping her finger lightly against his forehead.

His eyes glazed over, and Aoshima slowly sank to his knees, drool spilling out of the side of his mouth.

"What a repulsive creature," the cat spat in disgust. "You're sure I'm not allowed to curse him?"

Belldandy shook her head. "Aren't you already in enough trouble for flinging around curses without thinking things through? That's why I was asked to keep an eye on you."

"I have given this a great deal of thought, not that it was needed. He did not deserve the honor of summoning you, Bell-san."

"Very few do, but that doesn't mean I can't help them. It is my job."

The cat rolled its eyes. "As usual, you are far too kind. But I suppose it cannot be helped. Anyway, this is your only task in Nekomi, isn't it?"

"Actually, there are a few old friends I want to visit."

"I'd rather go back to the office and get some sleep."

Belldandy smiled. "Well, Broom-san agrees with me, so you're outvoted."

The cat scowled at her. "How many times must we go over this? It's just a broom! It doesn't get a vote!"

"By that logic, you, being just a cat, wouldn't get a vote, either."

"You know that I'm more than just a cat!"

"Then can you be sure that I don't know that this is more than just a broom?"

"...yes! BECAUSE IT'S A STUPID BROOM!"

"Broom-san isn't the one shouting and losing his temper," she reminded him, gently petting his silky fur.

The cat hissed angrily, even as it instinctively leaned into her fingers. "Sometimes I really hate you, Bell-san."

"If you keep saying that so often, I might actually start to believe you, Kaineko-kun."

* * *

Welsper had a habit of being troublesome, but he was far from being the worst demon ever. Yet there were two things that made him quite dangerous, or perhaps just extremely important, depending on whom was asked.

The first was his constant belief that he was always right, which made any opinion other than his wrong.

The second was that if Welsper died, Belldandy would die along with him.

Welsper was one of the few beings that knew that secret, and would rather die before he told anyone else. At any rate, he literally couldn't blab: the moment he tried, an alarm in Nidheg would go off, and Hild would instantly turn him into her personal pet. And if there was one thing Welsper had learned to fear about the Daimakaicho, it was that her definitions of cats were usually furless, misshapen monstrosities that couldn't think beyond their own bloodlust and hunger.

Aside from that, Belldandy was such a positive force that Welsper was convinced she made the world a better place just by existing. Perhaps that was why Hild had asked Belldandy to keep an eye on him until he learned to behave himself. For her part, Belldandy was delighted to have a new companion, even if he was generally grumpy and constantly trying to curse people he saw as being unworthy of her kindness. Fortunately, so long as he did anything short of actually cursing, Belldandy was willing to forgive him. He was still a demon, after all, and certain things were in his nature.

* * *

Mishima Sayoko came from a rich family, and married into another.

Five years into that marriage, she realized that her husband had only given her three things that mattered: two sons, and five years' worth of beatings that finally knocked some sense into her. But Sayoko could not bear to shame her family name with a divorce, so she had done something truly desperate.

She'd prayed for her husband to die.

Three months later, her husband was dead, his family accused her of foul play, and Sayoko lost everything but her boys. And that, she was amazed to realize, was all that she really needed. They lived in a small apartment, and Sayoko actually had to work hard for a living, but she was oddly happy. Her boys loved her, and so long as that remained true, she didn't care if anyone else did.

It was far from the perfect life she'd assumed she would have, and things were so very different now. Once, she hadn't given a second thought to how much luxuries cost. Now, she was amazed at how expensive necessities seemed, although that was due more to her being disowned by her parents.

Sayoko knew she was lucky, though. Because she'd never really been in love, she'd also never gotten her heart broken. What she'd gone through with Keiichi was little more than repeated disappointments. Having seen what Keiichi was like without Belldandy, she felt sorry for him. She still believed that Belldandy was a witch, and had cursed Keiichi for the rest of his life.

But what bothered Sayoko most was how nice Belldandy had always been to her. Sometimes she still woke up in a cold sweat, expecting to see Belldandy standing over her with a pleasant smile and scalding hot tea. But it never happened, and just when Sayoko began to think that Belldandy was gone for good, she came back.

It happened in the grocery store, of all places. Sayoko only knew that she looked away for an instant, and suddenly there was only one child where there had been two.

"Ichiro, where's your brother?" Sayoko asked, determined not to let the panic she felt slip into her voice.

Her oldest son blinked and turned his head, obviously shocked that his little brother wasn't right beside him. "I-I don't know. Kaa-san, the store won't sell him if he's lost, will they?"

Sayoko smiled and rubbed his head. "No, I don't think so. But let's be quick about finding him, anyway."

"Maybe he went back to the aisle with the ice cream?"

It was a very likely situation, and Sayoko was about to agree with him when something caught her eye.

Her missing son was at the far end of the aisle, being led towards her by an attractive woman holding his hand. At first, Sayoko felt nothing but relief to see that Jiro was safe. But it all turned to dread when she finally recognized the woman.

"B-Belldandy?!" Sayoko shrieked, clutching Ichiro to her side instinctively.

Belldandy looked at her and smiled warmly. "Sayoko-san, it's good to see you again. Your children are beautiful."

Sayoko could think of nothing to say to that, and even if she had, was fairly certain that her mouth wouldn't have cooperated enough to say it.

"Try not to wander off again, Jiro-chan," Belldandy said to the boy at her side. "I'm sure your mother was very worried about you."

Jiro nodded gravely, walked over to his mother, and sucked his thumb while clutching her dress with his free hand, as he usually did.

Belldandy paused, perhaps waiting for Sayoko to say something, but it didn't happen. "Well, I have some things to take care of. Sayoko-san, if you should ever find yourself in need of help, feel free to call me anytime." She drew a business card out of her pocket, glanced at Sayoko's limp hands, and then handed the card to Ichiro with a smile.

Ichiro turned bright red as their fingers touched, quickly stuffing the card into his mother's pocket.

"It was lovely to see you all. Take care of yourselves, Sayoko-san, Ichiro-kun, Jiro-chan." With that, Belldandy turned around and walked out of their lives.

"Kaa-san, I never told her my name," Ichiro whispered once she was gone.

"Of course you didn't," Sayoko whispered, doing her best to stay upright.

* * *

Very few people realized it, but the Nekomi Institute of Technology's Motor Club was a living, breathing entity with no remorse. It simply hunted down and sucked in the most random people to be its members these days, and would only turn them loose if they fought hard enough to escape. Morisato Megumi had tried and failed: the moment it went public that she was Keiichi's sister, Otaki and Tamiya had kidnapped her and carried her into the Motor Club on their shoulders. Even upon graduation, she had been dragged, kicking and screaming, into becoming the faculty advisor, and while she was certain there was a class somewhere she was also supposed to be teaching, she had never been allowed to go and find it while Otaki and Tamiya were around. But she got paychecks in the mail, a key to the faculty lounge, and students waved and called her "Megumi-sensei" as she passed them on campus, so in some weird, twisted way, she was indeed a teacher.

At least, that's what she told people, since telling them she was just a faculty advisor had resulted in way too much explaining.

Despite the oddness, Megumi lived comfortably. Her roommate, a rat she had taken to calling "Dai-kun," had eventually proven himself to be an Earth Spirit, Third Class. At least, Megumi had finally believed it when she found him defending her home against a harmless postman. Once she knew that he was actually helping her, they had become fast friends. It was still odd to talk and eat with a rat, though, so she insisted that he shift to his true form while they were alone.

It hadn't taken long for Megumi to get the truth from Dai-kun. Belldandy had not really sworn him to secrecy, perhaps suspecting that Megumi would find out the truth, or maybe Belldandy had even wanted her to know, eventually. But it changed nothing: Dai-kun was still Megumi's closest friend, and Belldandy was still a sweet girl that intended to spend her life with Keiichi.

At least, that had been the general idea, once.

Then Megumi had gotten a strange note in the mail, asking her to look in on Keiichi every so often. Amazingly enough, the handwriting had been Skuld's, not Belldandy's. Skuld was so desperate to keep Keiichi's spirits up that she had even begged the one human she considered her rival for help.

Megumi was used to Keiichi's moods, but this was unlike any she had ever seen before. She had seen him worried and depressed before, and knew how to fix those. There was no cure for Belldandy's absence, however, and Megumi was finally forced to admit that she couldn't handle it at all. She wasn't Belldandy, and for that matter, neither was anyone else.

It hurt, to realize that Skuld was the next best thing in Keiichi's eyes, but Megumi couldn't resent her for it. So long as it helped Keiichi move on, she was willing to try anything. Keiichi didn't even seem to mind when Megumi stopped visiting so often, and Dai-kun agreed that it was best to leave him to Skuld's care. Of course, Dai-kun thought that anyone related to Belldandy could do no wrong, so it wasn't all that comforting.

Both of them had been worried when Dai-kun could no longer sense Skuld's presence on Earth, and Megumi had gone straight to the temple. All she could get out of Keiichi, who looked worse than ever, was that Skuld had left and wasn't coming back. He refused to let her move in with him when she offered, and simply said that he'd rent a few rooms out. Megumi hadn't liked the idea of him living with strangers, but it was better than him living alone.

Although the only people she'd ever seen entering and leaving the temple after that point, other than Keiichi, all looked like contestants in some never-ending Urd look-alike contest. Megumi suspected that couldn't be healthy, either. On the other hand, practically everyone she knew had dreamed of Urd at some point, and if this was the only way that Keiichi could vent his frustrations, he was smart enough to do it safely. Or rather, he was still slightly traumatized from the lecture on safe sex that Megumi had given him years ago, on the very same day that Urd had offered to buy new swimsuits for her sisters.

At any rate, Megumi had hoped that this was her brother's way of slowly but surely getting over Belldandy. She wasn't sure how she felt about him fixating on Urd, but figured that if Keiichi hadn't been struck by lightning yet, he was probably safe from Urd.

But as it turned out, Urd was not the goddess that Megumi needed to worry about.

* * *

Belldandy had always been impressed by how quickly Megumi adapted to the most awkward of situations. She had always attributed that more to Morisato blood than anything else, although now she began to think it was something Megumi had developed on her own. It was simply impossible to startle a person like that for very long.

For example, when Belldandy suddenly appeared in Megumi's kitchen, no one said a word. Megumi's eyes widened a little, and Dai-kun nearly spilled his tea, but they both recovered fairly quickly.

"Belldandy-sama," Dai-kun said at last, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. "You've returned to Earth?"

She shook her head. "I'm only visiting. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to continue watching over Megumi-san for me."

Dai-kun immediately bowed his head. "I would be glad to do so. Megumi-san is a most considerate and amusing hostess."

Megumi blinked, frowned, and reached over to poke him in the arm. "Are you saying that you think I'm funny?"

He gave her a flat stare. "If that is what you heard, then-"

"Do you want me to drag out the photo album? Then we'll see who's funny when I show Belldandy the first time I took you to the beach. You practically had a heart attack when you saw some kids making sand castles."

"They were desecrating the land!"

"They were FIVE!"

Belldandy watched them argue for a few more minutes, unable to stop smiling. Clearly, she'd made the right choice in asking him to become Megumi's protector. Although, from the looks of it, maybe he was the one who needed protection from her.

Megumi was the first to realize that they still had company. "So, Belldandy, what brings you here? Do I get to trade in Dai-kun for a Second Class guy?"

Dai-kun's mouth dropped open in shock. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that!"

"As I said, I'm just visiting," Belldandy said quickly. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

Megumi smiled, but it slowly faded. "Oh, that's nice. You, um, haven't been to-?"

"The temple? No. I didn't think it would be a good idea."

Megumi sighed in relief, then noticed that Belldandy was staring at her. "Oh, don't get the wrong idea! You know I'm always glad to see you, but Kei-chan isn't... he couldn't..."

"He still has feelings for you, Belldandy-sama," Dai-kun stated, just before Megumi threw a balled-up napkin at his forehead. "What? Wasn't it obvious? What human could possibly be involved with Belldandy-sama and not-"

"If it was obvious, then why couldn't you keep your fat mouth shut?!" Megumi demanded.

"My mouth is not fat," Dai-kun snapped, "and I hardly think you are one to talk, with the way that you-"

"Is it always like this between you two?" Belldandy asked suddenly.

Megumi nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Would the two of you be interested in drawing up an official contract?"

"No," Megumi said at once. "I don't want Dai-kun to think of being here as a job, or even as a favor to you. I only want him here if he wants to be here."

"I do want to be here," Dai-kun quickly agreed. "Megumi-san is my only human friend. I consider it an honor and a privilege to be entrusted with her safety. No contract is necessary."

"I'm glad to hear that," Belldandy murmured softly. "I'm glad that this arrangement worked out for you two, then."

"Belldandy, is something wrong?" Megumi asked.

"No. No, of course not. But I've already taken up too much of your time, and there is one more place I need to visit today." Belldandy drew a business card from her pocket and placed it in Megumi's hand. "Feel free to call me anytime, for any reason."

Megumi look skeptically at the card. "Are you just being nice, or do you really mean that? I mean, if I ask you to have dinner with us one day, you'll really show up?"

Belldandy tilted her head slightly, obviously confused by the question. "I'm not sure what you mean, Megumi-san, but I would love to have dinner with you two in the future."

"Then does this mean I'm entitled to a wish?" Megumi pressed, waving the card a little.

"I can't think of any reason why you wouldn't be."

"And do you promise to grant it, no matter what it is?"

Belldandy smiled kindly. "Even a goddess has her limits, Megumi-san."

"Okay. I've thought about this for a long time." Megumi took a deep breath. "I want you to make sure that no one is ever allowed to hurt Kei-chan again. You included."

It was not an unreasonable wish. Grand, noble, and rather on the expensive side, but certainly not impossible, even for Belldandy. And yet...

"That wish is within my power to grant, Megumi-san. However... it is not within my ability."

Megumi frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It means that she could be stripped of her power for granting such a wish, or possibly exiled from Heaven," Dai-kun stated calmly.

"I'm truly sorry, Megumi-san," Belldandy apologized. "I do want him to be safe. But... I am not allowed to interfere with him any longer."

"Why not? Are you saying that your boss won't let you help Kei-chan?"

Belldandy shook her head. "It's complicated. Your brother has since been in contact with certain people, and so now, he is... entirely their responsibility. If I attempted to help him, it would only cause trouble for us both, and most likely would hurt him even more. That would defeat the purpose of your wish, would it not?"

"I don't understand," Megumi said at last.

"There are only so many things I can share with humans-" Belldandy began, but Megumi cut her off.

"Not that. I know there must be rules, but I've always felt like you've been honest with me, Belldandy. So please tell me... why do I suddenly feel like you're lying to me? I don't like that feeling at all."

"I am not allowed to lie," Belldandy whispered, the hurt obvious on her face. "But at the same time, I am not allowed to reveal the entire truth concerning certain matters. As for your feeling, Megumi-san, that is easily explained. The closer you are to someone, the easier it is to read their heart. Your uneasiness isn't because you don't trust me. It's because you do."

* * *

Welsper was not fond of meeting Belldandy's clients. He usually waited outside with her broom, unless of course he thought there might be some danger to her. Then he would insist on accompanying her, which would always make her smile and pet his head affectionately.

It still amazed him how Belldandy, with all of her power, could still be weakened by just a few words with no magic in them. She hadn't said a word since they'd left Megumi's place, and Welsper was starting to re-evaluate his opinion of the Morisato family. If they could make Belldandy so unhappy, they were far more dangerous than he'd ever though possible. Ironically enough, killing or cursing them would only make things worse.

"It's been a busy day, Bell-san," Welsper said as they walked. "Perhaps we should go back to the office now, so that you can rest."

She shook her head. "There is one more place I need to go."

"But the last one didn't go so well, did it?"

"Megumi-san was simply worried about her brother, as any good sister would be."

Welsper sighed and shook his head. "Why did you let her talk to you that way? She's one of the few people that knows who you really are. She should have shown you the proper respect-"

"How much respect would you have for someone that hurt me? The only difference is that Megumi-san respects me in spite of what I've done. But I don't think she's forgiven me, and she certainly hasn't forgotten. I can accept all of her feelings, so long as we remain on largely good terms."

"But why is it so important to you, Bell-san? She's just one person."

"Because as long as person is loved by a goddess, Heaven will continue to smile upon them. I wish only good things for Megumi-san, so it is in my best interest to remain friendly with her."

"Do you ever do anything that's at least partially self-serving?" Welsper groaned.

"Knowing that Megumi-san will remained blessed makes me happy. Doesn't that count?"

"No, it most certainly does not!"

"You're shouting again."

Welsper very nearly told her that he was a demon and he could shout if he wanted to, but fell silent when saw they were approaching a park that was not quite empty, despite how late in the day it was. Two people were still playing soccer, or rather one was practicing while the other watched. Welsper assumed they were just two random humans, so he was more than a little surprised when Belldandy hurried towards them. Feeling lost, he trailed along behind her.

From what he could see, the first person was a man in his mid-twenties, and the second was a teenaged girl. Neither one seemed to notice Belldandy at first.

"You're really improving," the man said, "but you need to have more confidence in yourself. Passing is good, but don't be afraid to take a shot yourself sometimes."

"But what if I miss?" the girl asked, frowning.

"Then you fix it in practice and get it right in the next game. Now, we've got a little time left, so why don't you try to get past me again?"

The girl pouted. "But you're so good, Coach!"

"I keep telling you, I'm only the coach's assistant. You'll never get any better if you don't keep trying."

The girl sighed and started to line up her shot, then paused and gaped at Belldandy. "Onee-chan! It's you!"

The man turned around and took a step back. "Belldandy-san?" he whispered.

They both froze and then pointed at each other. "You know her?!"

Belldandy smiled and drew them both into a group hug. "Hijiri-chan. Sentaro-kun. I'm so happy to see you both doing well."

Hijiri gasped. "You got a cat! He's soooo cute! Can I pet him, please?"

Belldandy glanced at Welsper, who was firmly shaking his head. "Sure."

Welsper yowled a bit, but finally allowed Hijiri to stroke his back without hissing too much.

"H-How is Skuld doing?" Sentaro asked hesitantly. "She always told me she didn't like writing letters, and one day she just stopped writing..."

"I'm afraid that's partially my fault. Urd and I decided to move, to be closer to our jobs, and it was inevitable that Skuld would follow us. I think she must not be writing because she doesn't want to admit to herself how painful it is to miss you."

He smiled faintly. "Yeah, that sounds like the Skuld I remember. Is she happy, at least?"

"I hope so. She's definitely doing what makes her happy, or what used to, at least. But people change, Sentaro-kun."

"Even Skuld?" he asked doubtfully.

Belldandy laughed softly. "Even Skuld. Eventually."

* * *

"Did you have to let her pet me?" Welsper complained as he stalked across Belldandy's desk. "Her hands were all sweaty."

"I imagine she was nervous about soccer," Belldandy answered absently, checking the single message next to her phone. It was from Urd, asking to meet with her and Skuld the moment she had some free time.

"I don't go around wiping my paws on people! It's plain unsanitary is what it is!"

"Feel free to clean yourself the way you cats do, then. I assure you it's no bother to me." Belldandy put on the phone's headset and started to press the button for Urd, then changed her mind and pressed the one directly above it. The phone rang once, and then was picked up as a booming voice said on the other end:

"It's Me." Then, in a somewhat softer tone, "You have a question, Belldandy?"

"Ah, yes. Yes, I do, Sir. It's about-"

"Morisato Keiichi, correct?" Despite the infinitely patient tone, it was not really posed as a question.

"Yes, Sir. I-I was wondering if... if I might be allowed to pray for him?"

There was a short pause.

"Of course it has always been My Policy to never restrict goddesses as to who they chose to pray for. But as you are well aware, Belldandy, this is an extremely delicate situation. It could very well prove to be counterproductive. Your prayers, in particular, might actually do him bodily harm at this point. So while I can appreciate your intent, and I will not forbid you, I will advise you to think this through very carefully."

"I understand, Sir."

"I sincerely hope that you do. And there's one more thing, Belldandy."

"Yes?"

Another short pause.

"I want you to know how much I appreciate the sacrifices that you've made, in the interest of ensuring that My Will is carried out. You have always been one of My Most Dependable Children, and I don't say this quite as often as I should, but..."

"Sir?" Belldandy asked hesitantly.

"I Love You."

The words hit her like a sledgehammer to the head, but one of purest warmth and eternal gratitude. It was not the first time she'd heard them from Him, and not quite the highest praise He could give, but few ever heard it stated so plainly.

"T-Thank You, Sir." Then, feeling a little silly but wanting to be appreciative, she added, "I love You, too."

"I Know. That is something I'll never question again. And please tell Welsper that any impurities in Hijiri-chan's sweat could only improve his disposition, as far as I'm concerned. Goodbye, Belldandy."

Smiling, Belldandy tapped the button to end the call, only to notice that she had another call waiting. Tapping another button, she asked, "Yes?"

"Belldandy," said a familiar voice.

"Nee-san!" Belldandy cried happily. "I was just about to return your call!"

"That's nice," Urd sighed. "Listen, Belldandy, we really need to talk. My mother is involved, and she was also involved in your-"

"I know," Belldandy said quietly.

Urd paused. "You... what? You knew?!"

"Yes. And before you say anything, it isn't her fault. The choice was mine to make."

"But Keiichi-"

"Isn't alone anymore."

"But it's a demon!"

"Nee-san," Belldandy said softly, "I wouldn't love you any less if you were all demon."

"That's different!"

"Is it?"

"...it should be! You can't be okay with this, Belldandy! What about Skuld and Noble Scarlet?!"

"They can and will be restored."

"...how do you know that?" Urd asked, her voice trembling. "How can you possibly know that?"

"I'd rather wait until the three of us are together. Skuld deserves to know, too."

"Why do I get the feeling that she isn't going to like this anymore than I do now, Belldandy?"

"Nee-san, I'm sorry, but I think you're going to like it least of all."

"Oh? And what makes you say that?"

Belldandy winced. "I'm going to have to ask you to invite Hild-sama as well."

"Can it at least be one of the little ones? She can't tower over us that way."

Shaking her head, Belldandy answered, "If you insist."

"Oh, I definitely, definitely do."

**End of Part 4.**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Keiichi's Broken Dream**

Lost in the darkness within his own heart, Keiichi finds comfort in the most unlikely places: Hild, a demon, and the arms of another goddess.

* * *

Endnotes:

Kaineko means pet cat. It's a reminder of Welsper's fate, if he should misbehave. So while it might seem mean-spirited, Belldandy is really doing him a favor by preventing him from making a big mistake.

I'm not sure why, but in both versions, Megumi's roommate is specifically called a spirit, as opposed to a god, despite apparently having a license (Third Class), markings, and even saying something along the lines of "fear the power of a god" (although maybe he was just trying to sound threatening). The only thing I can figure is that he's a god actually (or maybe contractually) assigned to Earth, which means he started off in Heaven and worked his way down (literally) to that position. In that case, "spirit" would be more a part of his job title than anything else (in the way that Skuld is a debugger). He knows enough to fear a Goddess First Class, and I think if he had met one since he began haunting the apartment, they would've dealt with him already, so the most likely place he could've learned about them is Heaven.

Megumi's nickname for the rat is short for the word "daikokunezumi," which is a white rat that serves Daikoku, god of wealth. Not that Megumi is wealthy, though it couldn't hurt.

In the manga, Belldandy actually introduces the rat to Megumi, which of course freaks her out. In the anime, the rat runs off before Megumi shows up. Either way, he's later shown to be living with her. And I like to think Megumi would eventually notice the same rat always hanging around.

Hijiri is a little girl from the anime that Keiichi and Belldandy run into fairly often. She's seen Belldandy use her powers, but it only seems to impress her (and it they ARE impressive, but most people tend to freak out). If my guesses are right, she was around 6 in the anime, and Sentaro was maybe 12 or so.


	5. Keiichi's Broken Dream

**Broken Dreamers**

**An Ah! My Goddess Miniseries by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Part 5: Keiichi's Broken Dream**

* * *

Morisato Keiichi didn't know until late in his life, but he was born under a star.

That in itself was nothing special: stars were so numerous and widespread that it was virtually impossible not to be born under one, somewhere. Some were even expertly positioned so that certain people would be born under them, and that may or may not have been the case with Keiichi.

What is not up for debate is that Keiichi's star was a star of misery.

From the moment he was born, Keiichi was exposed to an unusual amount of the star's radiance. As he grew, so did the radiance. By the time he was a teenager, Keiichi had basically accepted that he was destined to live a boring, unfortunate life, and the star's light was so potent that only divine intervention could've altered his life for the better.

Fortunately, that is exactly what happened.

But divine intervention is remarkably like regular, everyday intervention, in that it requires someone or something to intervene. And if that essential force, for example, chooses not to intervene, or more specifically, takes away the agent of its intervention, things would return to normal.

And for Keiichi, normalcy was misery.

* * *

When Belldandy returned to Heaven, there was really only one reason that Keiichi didn't try to stop her.

He had accepted that his happiness, even with her, was not meant to last. If he could not escape misfortune with Belldandy at his side, what other fate could there be in store for him? It had to mean that he was meant to be unhappy, and that God, for whatever reason, had absolutely no problem with that.

There was no point in being angry. Just because Hild supposedly liked him, it didn't mean that God had to. In fact, for all Keiichi knew, maybe God didn't like him BECAUSE Hild did. There was no way to be sure.

What Keiichi was sure of was that Belldandy never gave up on anyone, least of all him. So she could pretend that this was her decision all she wanted, but in the end, he knew better. Belldandy loved him, more than anyone else ever had, more than Keiichi felt he ever deserved to be. She would never leave him of her own free will, so it had to be another's will at work.

Keiichi had never been overly religious, but the day he realized that God had taken away his happiness was the day he simply stopped caring. He couldn't bring himself to hate God, but he would never allow himself to believe in anyone who could cause him so much pain without even offering an explanation. It wouldn't matter where he went when he died: without Belldandy, he was already in Hell.

Then again, some would've argued that being on a first name basis with the Daimakaicho, as well as being a personal friend of her half-demon daughter, was more than enough to guarantee VIP status in Hell. And while they would've been right, Keiichi was no longer in a state of mind where he could appreciate such a dubious honor.

Now he lived solely for what he knew could never be. Many times, he woke up in the morning expecting to see Belldandy greeting him, telling him how she had changed her mind and come back to him. But it was only ever Skuld, and after a while Keiichi no longer bothered to hide his disappointment, since she could sense it, anyway.

They almost never fought anymore. Anytime Skuld got upset with him, the anger would suddenly drain out of her in mid-rant, and she would go work on an invention until she'd calmed down. She even started doing most of the housework, although she expanded Banpei's programming to assist her in doing so. If Keiichi were not so alarmed by the changes, he might've realized that Skuld was doing her best to fill the Belldandy-shaped hole in his heart. But all she really did was remind him that Skuld would never behave this way if either of her sisters were still around.

So even though Skuld had stayed on Earth solely for him, Keiichi had never felt more distant from her.

* * *

If Hild had come to him the day after Belldandy left, Keiichi would've never listened to her. Instead, she allowed him a whole month of Belldandy-free life, by which time he was all too open to alternatives.

The Daimakaicho entered his life in the usual fashion: interrupting an otherwise quiet dinner with an enormous explosion (which turned out to be Banpei firing all of his missiles, as Skuld had commanded him to do against such a formidable foe). Then she simply walked through the front door, with Banpei trapped in a pink bubble floating at her side.

Skuld instantly pulled what looked like a bazooka out of the back of her dress (and again, Keiichi didn't dare to wonder where she'd been hiding it) and aimed it at Hild's head. "Not another step!" she shouted. "Drop Banpei-kun right now!"

Hild stared at Skuld for a moment, and then simply ignored her, turning instead to Keiichi. "Kei-kun, I'd like to talk to you."

It took a great deal of willpower for Keiichi not to hide behind Skuld. "W-Why?"

Hild sighed. "I would like to point out that I did try to knock on the door. But the little robot attacked me before I could. I even arrived a good distance away and WALKED, so I wouldn't wreck anything. Do you know how long it's been since I walked ANYWHERE? My Urd-chan was still in diapers!"

Skuld made a face at the thought, and in that instant, the bazooka was neatly encased in another bubble, floating swiftly out of her hands. Scowling, she started to reach into her dress again.

Keiichi grabbed her wrist, blushed when he realized what he'd almost grabbed instead, and quickly let go. "Wait, Skuld."

"What?!" Skuld cried, glaring at him. "Keiichi, she's-!"

"She's trying," Keiichi said simply.

"But you can't trust her!"

"I can listen for a few minutes, though."

"Fine!" Skuld snapped. "But anything she has to say to you, she can say in front of me!"

Keiichi shook his head. "I don't think she walked here so she could talk to both of us, or she would've said so."

It was the nicest way he could think of to ask her to leave them alone, but Keiichi still felt like dirt as the hurt flashed in her eyes.

"If she tries to kill you, I won't save you!" Skuld shouted as she leaped up and ran from the room.

"I was hoping to avoid something like that," Hild sighed, plucking a long, white hair from her head.

Keiichi watched in awe as the hair rapidly lengthened between her fingers, filling out into a silvery-white cocoon, which split open to reveal a new, child-sized Hild, complete with her own star and jewelry seals. The girl aimed a small wink at Keiichi before running after Skuld.

"Don't worry. She's only going to make sure that Skuld-chan is okay," Hild stated.

"Please don't make me regret hurting her," Keiichi said quietly. "Tell me you have a good reason for being here."

"I do," Hild insisted, sitting down across from him. "I heard about you and Bell-chan, and I want to help you."

"We're not getting back together," he sighed.

She smiled. "Not 'you' as in 'you two,' Kei-kun. Just you."

"Me? Why?"

Hild shrugged. "I like you. And though she'd never admit it, my Urd-chan loves you, in her own way. So I'm here to help you. I can understand your hesitance, given our history, but I was only doing my job. You may not like that, but a job can be extremely important sometimes. Why else would Bell-chan leave you to return to hers?"

Keiichi looked down. "Can we talk about anything else, please?"

"Of course," she murmured, reaching over to pat his hand soothingly. "I want to offer you a contract."

He immediately jerked his hand away.

"That really hurts my feelings, Kei-kun. I'm not infectious, you know. Not this week, anyway."

Keiichi made a small whimpering noise.

"I'm kidding, mostly. Not about the contract, though. I'm sure it will benefit us both."

"How?" he asked warily.

Hild leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and propping her chin up with her hands. "I'll see to it that you'll never know the pain of loneliness again, Kei-kun. All you have to do is think of me as a sort of second mother. You'll keep your free will, of course, but how much I help you is directly related to how much you help me in return. If you want total cooperation, I'll expect the same. If you only need me sometimes, it'll be the same for me."

Keiichi stared at her. "Um... this sounds like something you'd normally be offering to Urd."

She pouted cutely. "Do you really consider being one of my children such a bad thing, Kei-kun?"

"Well, not exactly. Urd is nice enough SOME of the time, but-"

"Do YOU think I'm a bad person?"

Keiichi bit his lip, unsure of how to answer that without getting blasted through the wall. "I guess you're basically a good person that sometimes does bad things."

Hild gasped in fake shock. "Bad? Me?! When?!"

He frowned. "There was the time you had that... thing pull out everyone's angels."

"But I was going to replace them!"

"But with demons!"

"So?" she demanded. "I could've just left them that way! THAT would've killed them. I just wanted them to be my children, that's all!"

Keiichi had the oddest feeling that she was telling the truth. "Why do you have this fixation on everyone being your child?"

"Isn't it obvious? Because the one child I did have naturally rejects me."

"So, what? You're trying to make Urd jealous?"

"No, but if that managed to work..."

"Then what is it? Why is it so important to you?"

Hild sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm lonely, too, Kei-kun. Oh, I have tons of demons that'll do whatever I say, but so few of them actually appreciate me or genuinely care about me."

"But... with this contract, aren't you just forcing me to do that? It wouldn't be real."

She giggled. "Not true. You already care about me, simply because I'm Urd-chan's mother, don't you? Why else would you hurt Skuld-chan to give me a chance to speak to you? I appreciate that, by the way."

"Well, Urd doesn't hate you, so... I don't think you're all bad," Keiichi admitted. "But you're on the other side."

Hild laughed. "Oh, Kei-kun, you're so funny! Honestly, you don't really think you're on their side, do you? Have you ever been to Heaven? Been given access to Yggdrasil? Seen a goddess other than the ones who come here? If you were really on their side, there would be no reason for Bell-chan to leave you. You aren't on their side. You just aren't on mine yet, so you're not an enemy, but you are a threat to them now. You almost caused Bell-chan to choose you over her duties."

"It's not like I asked her to!" Keiichi protested.

"No. You just told her you loved her," Hild murmured softly, offering him a sad smile. "Sounds like the sin of the century, doesn't it?"

He looked away, digging his fingernails into his knees. "It isn't fair..."

"No, it never is. But it can get better."

"But... if I can't trust God... why should I trust you?"

"Because God isn't sitting in your dining room, offering you a contract, Kei-kun. In fact, I'll make that part of our contract. If the Almighty One ever appears to you, in human form, on Earth, you can opt out of our contract."

Keiichi laughed bitterly. "You say that so confidently. You already know it won't happen, don't you?"

"And if I do, doesn't that just prove my point?" Hild offered her hand to him. "You don't even really have to fully trust me, Kei-kun. Just keep caring about me the way you have so far."

He was startled to realize that he wanted to trust her. Hild was many things, but she was also right in front of him, offering her help. And on top of that, she hadn't destroyed his life (although not for lack of trying, he had to remind himself). All she seemed to want was a family, even if she went about it the wrong way. And maybe if he did join her, he could gradually convince her not to be so... bad. Or at least to stop attacking four certain goddesses.

"Tell me your wish, Kei-kun," she whispered, staring into his eyes.

Keiichi would never recall choosing to speak the exact words, almost as if Hild had drawn them directly out of his heart. But in the end, he knew they were the words he would've chosen, anyway.

"I want you to protect me from the pain of my loneliness."

He slowly reached for her hand, but Hild vanished from sight, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"Your wish is accepted, Kei-kun," she murmured into his ear, resting her chin on his shoulder, "my darling boy. Mama Hild promises that you'll never be lonely again." Her hands slid up until they covered his heart. "One way or another, a part of me will always be with you, right here. And so will a part of your beloved Bell-chan."

* * *

Skuld was asleep in her room.

At least, that was what anyone using one of Yggdrasil's terminals would believe.

They would not be aware of the small girl, who bore a striking resemblance to the Daimakaicho, going through Skuld's closet and trying on her clothes. Nor would they be aware of the black, sheep-shaped, seal on Skuld's forehead, or of the fact that it temporarily weakened her connection to Yggdrasil, to the point where it convincingly feigned sleep in every sense that mattered.

This was not quite hacking the system, of course, which was both forbidden and supposedly impossible (although because more than a few demons had managed it, nobody in Heaven ever liked to admit it). Hild preferred to think of it as tricking the system, as there was no actual invasion of the computer involved, and the seal would fade in a few hours, leaving Skuld slightly confused but otherwise fine.

"It was for your own good, Skuld-chan," the girl commented, tossing aside another dress that was a bit too pink for her tastes. "You three all wasted your chances to win Kei-kun. So interfering with the new challenger will not be allowed." She paused and looked out at the night sky. "Oh, it's starting already. I can hardly wait!"

High above them, a single star was slowly bathed in crimson light.

* * *

Keiichi had thought it was merely a dream, at first.

Belldandy had appeared in plenty of those, but it was different this time. She was surrounded by a red aura, singing and twirling around with her arms flung wide and her dark, bat like wings fluttering, eyes closed as she danced. It was only when he got closer that Keiichi realized what was wrong.

From head to waist, she was Belldandy. But after that, there was only a curious, crimson, funnel-shaped cloud. Almost as if she were an angel.

Or something like one, at least.

"You... you're my angel, aren't you?" he whispered.

She stopped, opening her eyes and smiling at him. It was so like Belldandy's smile, and at the same time, completely different. But Keiichi found that he didn't really care. She was here, and that was all that mattered.

"I have to give you a name, right?" Keiichi asked. "Something that suits you."

The angel placed a finger against his lips and shook her head.

"No, you're right. Something that suits us."

Nodding, she gently took his hand, lacing her fingers through his.

With that simple gesture came a flood of knowledge that Keiichi knew he couldn't have gained any other way. "You don't have a form of your own. You can only borrow someone else's. And... you'll become whatever my heart desires." His face fell. "But... that isn't fair to you."

She merely tilted her head and smiled, raising their joined hands. He understood it to be her way of saying, "It's okay. I'm only here for you."

"My angel is my reflection," Keiichi murmured. "The mirror that holds my broken dreams…"

* * *

Keiichi had never expected that Peorth would be the first goddess that fell to him. He'd always thought it would be Urd, and suspected that Hild had thought much the same. Still, it was not really a problem. Just as each of the goddesses loved him, Keiichi returned that love, just in a different form. He had been attracted to Peorth from the start, which was almost entirely her own fault for throwing herself at him. Even when she'd stopped and become a friend, the attraction hadn't so much lessened or gone away as it had been overshadowed by his love for Belldandy.

But with Belldandy gone, Keiichi had come to realize that his feelings for the other goddesses seemed to be amplified, perhaps somehow compensating for Belldandy's absence. Or perhaps the emotions had always been that strong, and his love for Belldandy had once been even stronger. Whatever the cause, Keiichi never doubted that what he now felt for Peorth was love, even if its roots had grown from lust.

Actually capturing Peorth was far simpler than he'd expected. Her guard had been down, and he had taken her by surprise, but that had also been the case with Skuld, and Noble Scarlet had fought back.

"Oh, that's simple, Kei-kun," a mini-Hild told him later that night as they sat on the roof of the temple. "You know that there's a certain distance between Skuld and her angel. Their thoughts aren't always obvious to each other. Noble Scarlet felt her power being drained, and thought Skuld was in mortal danger. Skuld was too afraid to know the difference herself. But Gorgeous Rose is far older and much closer to Peorth. She didn't come out because she knew you weren't actually going to hurt Peorth."

Keiichi frowned and shook his head. "But that implies that she has no problem with Peorth becoming a demon."

"Why should she? If Gorgeous Rose is willing, there's no reason to replace her. She wants to stay with Peorth. I don't doubt that Holy Bell would do the same thing."

"So you won't separate them?"

"No, I won't. No one should be made to feel lonely if it can be avoided, Kei-kun." The girl stood up and stretched her arms. "Well, I have a few things to take care of. When Peorth is ready, just call me, okay?" She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. "Oh, and I know she's a new toy, but don't play too rough with her yet!"

Once she was gone, Keiichi looked up into the night sky, his gaze focusing on the single blood-red star, twinkling ominously. He raised his hand, pretending to close it around the star. "It won't be long now, old friend."

* * *

Peorth was understandably startled when she woke up in Keiichi's bed. There were two angels holding her in a tender embrace. One was obviously Gorgeous Rose, but the other looked a great deal like Belldandy, if someone had dipped her in red paint. Then she noticed the bat like wings on the angel's back.

"Don't be afraid. She won't hurt you."

Peorth looked up to find Keiichi sitting at her feet, staring at the wall. He wasn't wearing a shirt, which made it easy to see the pink, star-shaped seal that covered most of his back.

Keiichi noticed the direction of her gaze. "It's necessary. Even Hild can't turn off a star without some trouble, and I asked her not to. It didn't do anything wrong."

"What does a star have to do with anything?" Peorth asked.

"It's my star. The one I was born under. The one that gives me my power."

Peorth's eyes widened. "You don't mean the red one I passed on my way down here, do you?"

"That's the one."

"But, that's impossible! If you've really been absorbing power from a star all this time, you'd be-"

"Powerful enough to defeat an unsuspecting goddess?" he offered mildly.

She frowned. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Don't look at me like that. Despite what you may think, I do love you, Peorth."

She blinked, her face heating up. The old Keiichi never would've stated it so plainly. This one seemed like he was weary of all the mind games that relationships seemed to require. "W-Why did you make that contract with me, then?"

"So that you couldn't run away from me, like she did."

"I could still run. There are rules that protect-"

"You're not a goddess anymore. Show her, Broken Dreamer."

The Belldandy look-alike released her hold on Peorth and floated into the air. She went hazy around the middle, and a mirror appeared over her stomach.

Peorth's mouth dropped open in shock. The blue, diamond markings on her forehead and cheeks were now bright red.

"Being a demon is really your only option, if you want to keep your angel," Keiichi pointed out. "All you really have to do is accept the offer. The rest can be arranged later."

"And if I refuse?"

He frowned. "I'm not sure. I imagine Hild would want to take the power back, but I don't know where that would leave Gorgeous Rose." Keiichi bit his lip. "Say yes, Peorth. It's the only way I can make sure you survive."

"So live as a demon, or die? Are those the only choices you've left me?"

Keiichi smirked. "Belldandy's a goddess. How happy do you think she is right now? How happy are any of them, the last time you saw them?"

Peorth frowned. "Still... this is-"

"Different. But it could be good different."

"Why did you even bother to make the contract, if you were just going to make it terms null and void?"

"To show you that I'm serious. Also, so that Heaven will have a record of you entering the contract willingly. I want you with me, Peorth. But more than that, I want you to want to be with me. I'll take what I can get at this point, though."

"You never would've gone this far before."

"And what has that gotten me, Peorth? Nothing but pain and loneliness."

"You're wrong!" Peorth shouted. "I loved you even then! The only reason I couldn't act on it was because of Belldandy!"

"That's no excuse," Keiichi replied. "It was the same for me. But Belldandy isn't here now, by her own choice. My choice is to have you with me. There's no point in arguing. You can't lie, and your angel doesn't know how to be subtle."

That much was true: Gorgeous Rose and Broken Dreamer were embracing happily just over Peorth's head. It was a connection beyond mere friendship, or even having something in common. Angels could not really appreciate such things, anyway. They only knew, instinctively, when they had found a soulmate.

Just as Peorth knew when there was no more point in fighting. Already, she could see the changes occurring in her angel. Gorgeous Rose's white, feathered wings were melting away, revealing dark red bat wings underneath. Even the brown vines she wore darkened to a rusty red.

"Is this really what you want?" Peorth whispered. "What we want?"

"Only the voice in your heart can tell you that, Peorth," Keiichi answered. "What does it say to you?"

Peorth closed her eyes, placing a hand over her heart. A smile slowly spread across her face. "It says she wants to change her name." She opened her eyes as her angel's new wings folded around her. "I agree. From now on, you'll be my Glamorous Rose."

Keiichi smiled, closing his eyes as he felt Broken Dreamer's arms sliding around his neck. "It's time. They're ready now, Hild-san."

An instant later, a mini-Hild marched into the room, wearing a nurse's outfit, and carrying an enormous syringe under each arm. "OKAY, Pet-chan! From now on, you're my brand new Demon First Class, Special Duty, Unlimited! But first, you have to take your shots to get rid of any lingering goddess cooties you might be carrying! Kei-kun, hold her down!"

Peorth gasped as Keiichi grabbed her arms. "Wait! What are you doing?!"

"Eh, sorry about this," Keiichi apologized, looking embarrassed. "But it would be a problem if someone from Heaven were able to keep track of you now, so we have to do this."

Hild grinned manically. "Alright! Nurse Hild Hyper Injection, GO!"

Peorth screeched as Hild jammed the needle into her arm with no obvious skill or gentleness. She immediately went limp in Keiichi's arms, less because of what was in the needle and more from the sight of it sticking out of her arm.

After a moment, Hild yanked the needle out and dropped it on the floor. "Right! Now comes Needle Number Two!"

"No!" Peorth protested weakly. "Don't you dare touch my Glamorous Rose!"

Hild blinked at her, then grinned wickedly. "Who said anything about her? This one's for you, too! One in the top, and one in the bottom!"

Glamorous Rose and Broken Dreamer exchanged worried glances before covering each other's eyes.

Peorth's eyes widened as Hild approached her. "NOOOOO!!!"

* * *

Skuld jerked awake in bed, bumping the sleeping form next to her.

"Grmph. What are you doing?" Urd grumbled, swatting her sister's arm lightly.

"I thought I heard a scream!" Skuld whispered, her eyes wide with fear.

Urd sighed. "I know you're nervous about seeing Belldandy tomorrow, and that's the only reason why I agreed to stay over tonight. But if you're going to keep this up, I'm going home."

"No, Urd!" Skuld cried, latching onto her arm. "You promised you'd stay with me!"

"And I will, so long as you stop hitting me while I'm trying to sleep!"

"But I really did hear something!" Skuld insisted. "It sounded like someone in a lot of pain!"

"Wait, I think I hear it, too," Urd murmured, sitting up.

"Really?!"

"Yeah. Sounds like it's coming from... you!" She immediately whacked Skuld in the face with her pillow hard enough to send her tumbling out of bed.

"OW!" Skuld glared up at her from the floor. "Urd, you jerk! That really hurt!"

Urd glared right back at her. "It'll hurt worse if I wake up to you hitting me again!"

"Fine, I'm sorry I hit you!"

"And I'm sorry I didn't hit you hard enough to knock you out. Now come back to bed."

Pouting, Skuld climbed back into bed, being sure to keep to her side. She stiffened when she felt Urd moving closer, but relaxed as Urd's arms wrapped around her from behind.

"Go to sleep, Skuld," Urd murmured into her hair. "And don't worry about tomorrow. I'll be with you."

"That isn't the part I'm worried about," Skuld whispered, closing her eyes. But despite her concern, they were both asleep in seconds.

**End of Part 5.**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Norns Night Out**

Belldandy and her sisters have some issues to work out. Especially since she is far better informed than they are. But that knowledge has its own price.

* * *

Endnotes:

As far as I know, the "star of misery" is only mentioned in the first anime episode. But then, the anime also stresses how rotten Keiichi's life is prior to meeting Belldandy, so an outside force being responsible makes more sense than simple streak of bad luck.

I'm not really sure how Hild makes the mini-Hilds, so I just came up with a simple method.


	6. Norns Night Out

**Broken Dreamers**

**An Ah! My Goddess Miniseries by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Part 6: Norns Night Out**

* * *

Skuld nervously bit her lip. "What if she doesn't come?"

Urd rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly. Belldandy can't lie."

"But what if she-"

"Skuld. Don't think you're too old for me to put you over my knee."

Skuld glared at her sister, but said nothing more. She then realized that Urd was probably just as anxious as she was, maybe even more so. Urd always seemed to know more than she told Skuld, and if anything, Belldandy apparently knew even more than that, this time. Skuld had finally figured out that this was Urd's way of protecting her, which was both frustrating and endearing. On the other hand, Urd generally allowed Skuld to learn by making her own mistakes first, so if it was something that even Urd was trying to protect her from, there had to be a good reason for it.

They had chosen Skuld's home for the meeting, for privacy and the fact that it was already equipped with an automatic defense system. They weren't expecting any intruders, and Hild had more or less promised to behave, but Skuld had not gotten where she was by being ill-prepared.

Of course, it was a little disturbing already that Hild, despite never being told by anyone, did not need directions to reach Skuld's home. Skuld had gone over it repeatedly, but couldn't decide how Hild had found out the exact location. Urd would never have told her, and Belldandy had never been there herself.

Skuld was so busy worrying that she almost didn't notice when Belldandy walked into the room. She froze at once, having no idea how her beloved older sister would react to her presence.

She should've known better.

Belldandy's face lit up, and she quickly crossed the room and drew Skuld into a warm hug. "I'm so glad you're safe," she murmured, tenderly kissing Skuld's cheek.

"Onee-sama," Skuld whimpered before she burst into tears of relief and buried her face in Belldandy's shoulder.

Belldandy smiled and stroked her sister's hair. "It's alright, Skuld. I could never be angry at you."

"Yeah, that's my job," Urd added, feeing a little left out.

"Nee-san," Belldandy said brightly, turning to hug and kiss her as well. "I've missed you."

"Sure. Now start talking."

"Can't we at least sit down first?" Belldandy asked, frowning.

Urd grabbed both of her sisters and practically shoved them into the waiting chairs, sitting on Belldandy's other side herself. "Talk!"

"Holy Bell was hoping to see Noble Scar-"

"She isn't going anywhere. Talk!"

Sighing, Belldandy reluctantly began. "Well, first and foremost, Noble Scarlet can and will be restored."

Skuld's eyes widened. "Really?!" At Belldandy's nod, she started to cheer, but a sharp look from Urd made her pause in thought. "Wait. How can you know that, Onee-sama?"

Belldandy hesitated. "It's most accurate to say that I'm allowed to know."

"Oh. Okay." Skuld wasn't sure what else to say to that.

"You should both also know that leaving Keiichi was my choice."

"Bull," Urd said at once.

Belldandy gazed at her patiently. "Nee-san, it was my choice."

"That was no more your choice than being born the Daimakaicho's daughter was mine, and you know it."

"I can't lie," Belldandy reminded her.

"You can if you believe in the lie so strongly that it's true to you, or if you don't realize it's a lie. You just can't knowingly lie on purpose."

"I chose to leave him," Belldandy insisted.

"But you love Keiichi," Skuld murmured. "So, why did you-?"

"She didn't," Urd interrupted.

"I did," Belldandy answered, frowning at her.

Urd snorted. "Sure. Tell me this, then: did you make that choice already knowing what would happen if you stayed with Keiichi?"

Belldandy hesitated again, longer this time. "Yes."

"And who gave you that knowledge?"

"You obviously know already, so why-?"

"Skuld doesn't know."

"...the Almighty."

Skuld's eyes instantly teared up. "God hates Keiichi?"

"Of course not," Belldandy said, patting her hand reassuringly.

"He can't be overly fond of Keiichi, either," Urd pointed out.

"You don't understand-" Belldandy began.

"Only because you haven't told us everything!"

"I wasn't permitted to," Belldandy replied calmly. "Nee-san, you should know how these things work."

"Which is exactly why I'm so pissed at you right now. I could understand if you were trying to protect Skuld from the truth, but there was no reason to leave me out of it! And because of what I didn't know, we could've lost Skuld! So don't you dare sit there and act like things are fine!"

"I have never and would never do anything to put Skuld in danger. I was trying to do what was best for her."

"Then you did a lousy job!" Urd snapped. "Why haven't you even come to see her since she came back to Heaven?"

"As I said, I was trying to do what-"

"You finish that sentence," Urd growled, raising a hand crackling with lightning, "and I'll make you wish you hadn't."

Belldandy stared at her intently. "What do you want me to say?"

"That you screwed up by not trusting in us, and that you'll stop doing it, right here, right now! Because if you don't, Belldandy, Keiichi will be the least of your problems!"

"You know that the Almighty does not take threats against His Chosen lightly."

Urd narrowed her eyes. "I can have the better part of Hell's army here with a single word."

"Stop it!" Skuld cried, pushing them apart. "Stop fighting!"

"Not until she apologizes for abandoning us!" Urd shouted.

Belldandy closed her eyes. "I don't expect you two to understand the choices I made."

"What I understand is that when Skuld really needed you, all she had was me. I'm sick of being your substitute, Belldandy. You should've been here for her. If you've changed so much that you can't understand that, I'll do everything in my power to make sure that you're never allowed to see Skuld again."

Skuld stared at her in shock. "W-Why would you say that, Urd?"

Urd glared at her. "Because you're my sister, too, and unlike her, I love you, you little brat."

"Urd," Skuld whispered softly, tears spilling down her cheeks. "You mean it?"

Rolling her eyes, Urd lightly bopped Skuld on the head with the back of her hand. "Of course I do, stupid."

With a loud sob, Skuld flung herself at Urd, latching onto her waist and bawling into her stomach.

Belldandy smiled and turned away. "We are united once more. The next phase can begin."

"What did you say?" Urd asked sharply.

"I said," Belldandy answered, turning to face her, "that you're right. Nee-san, Skuld, I apologize if my actions harmed either of you in any way. Please believe that it was not my intention."

"We know you'd never mean to hurt us, Onee-sama," Skuld sniffled, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"Which begs the question of what God told you about Keiichi's fate that made you leave him," Urd added.

"There wasn't much of a choice," Belldandy sighed. "I could've stayed with Keiichi. But if I had, Mara would've eventually possessed him, and accidentally fused their souls in the process. The resulting creature would only destroy everything in its path, and no power in Heaven or Hell could undo it without severe consequences. I saw the path I chose as being the better alternative for everyone, even if it placed more of the burden on us."

"And you couldn't have said anything at all?"

"I was... strongly encouraged not to," Belldandy admitted.

Urd frowned. "You know, I'm really starting not to like Him."

Skuld shushed Urd, glancing around nervously. "He'll hear you!"

"If He didn't get rid of me for being the Daimakaicho's kid, I doubt He's going to care about a little blasphemy."

"That reminds me, shouldn't Hild-san be with you?" Belldandy asked.

Urd shook her head. "She had some last minute business or something. Said that we should start without her and that she'll catch up later. With any luck, we can finish without her, too."

"Oh, I highly doubt that," Belldandy disagreed.

"And why is that?" Urd demanded.

Belldandy blinked, a little surprised by Urd's tone. "I thought you two were getting along?"

"We are. But being around you two reminds me how much of this mess is her fault. And when I think about what she could've done to Skuld, I-"

"Have you ever considered that it is her fate to challenge us, just as it is yours to constantly resist her?"

"No," Urd said coldly.

Belldandy smiled hesitantly. "Maybe you should?"

"No!"

"Nee-san, you're not even trying..."

"Why should I?! Yes, she's my mother, but it's hard to remember or admit that when she's attacking us! And Skuld-"

"Is stronger now than she has ever been, thanks in part to the hardships she suffered through."

The color drained out of Urd's face. "If the next words out of your mouth are that this was all somebody's sick idea of a test, then-"

Belldandy opened her mouth to reply, but someone else beat her to it.

"It wasn't Bell-chan's test. Or haven't you realized yet that she was being tested, too?"

None of the goddesses were really surprised to see a mini-Hild strolling into the room, although they did do a double-take at seeing her dragging Welsper in by a leash.

"Was that really necessary, Hild-san?" Belldandy asked as Welsper shot her a pleading look.

"No, just having some fun!" Hild let go of the leash, smirking as Welsper took off like a shot and hid behind Belldandy.

"What do you mean, Belldandy was being tested?" Urd asked.

"Exactly what I said, Urd-chan. It isn't fair to keep blaming her for not keeping you informed. That was no doubt part of her test: hanging back and letting you two figure things out on your own. And having to choose to leave Kei-kun."

"You shouldn't have told them, Hild-san," Belldandy sighed. "The test loses some meaning if they don't figure it out themselves."

Hild winked at her. "Well, I'm not bound by the same rules as you three, thankfully. And my poor Urd-chan was frustrated enough, so I thought I'd give her one less thing to worry about. Now she can focus on keeping her baby sister safe."

Skuld clearly didn't like that, but in an odd show of maturity, decided to focus on the sentiment behind it.

"So how do we know if we've passed these stupid tests?" Urd grumbled.

"We have," Belldandy confirmed. "But don't ask me what they were. I'm not allowed to say."

"Can you at least tell me why we were being tested in the first place?"

"New licenses."

Skuld's eyes widened. "You mean I finally get to be...?"

"I can't say anything more," Belldandy murmured with a small smile.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, Skuld," Urd warned her. "It can't be that easy."

"Nee-san, you should have more faith."

"Belldandy, I'm the Daimakaicho's daughter. How much faith do you really expect me to have?"

"More than you seem to," Belldandy replied softly.

"So I'm bad guy because I don't like the idea of Skuld getting hurt as part of some test?"

"Urd, it's fine," Skuld said, tugging on her hand. "I appreciate it, but-"

"It's not fine. The Belldandy I know wouldn't have been fine with it. She's changed, Skuld, can't you see it?"

"She hasn't just changed, Urd-chan," Hild sighed. "She's grown up. You all have. Skuld isn't a baby anymore. She can look after herself. If she says it's fine, then leave it alone. You three need to be on the same page, now more than ever. Some things are bigger than Heaven and Hell."

"Like what?" Skuld asked.

"Like you three, and the work that you're meant to do. Now that you've proven yourselves ready, you only need to accept your collective fate. So, let's call up your Maker."

Urd stared at her mother in shock. "You're going to stay for that?"

Hild smiled and patted Urd's arm. "As I said, Urd-chan, some things are bigger than Heaven and Hell."

* * *

There were only a handful of beings that could speak directly to God and get an audible reply.

Hild was at the top of list, not because she deserved to be, but because it was extremely difficult to conduct Heavenly business with someone reciting dirty limericks at the top of their lungs in the background. So when the Daimakaicho called, God answered, if only because it would result in a huge nuisance not to do so. Fortunately, she did not call often as a rule, as she was not a fan of his Booming Voice (which was always necessary with both visitors and demons, to remind them of Just Who they were dealing with).

On this day, it just so happened that God was not extremely busy when Hild called.

Or perhaps, anticipating or even having planned the event, He cleared His schedule.

At any rate, He was enjoying some tea when Hild's calling card appeared on his tabletop. As something of a private joke, it consisted of His given name, written in three ancient languages, with a small doodle of Hild sticking her tongue out at Him.

Sighing, God put His tea aside. "How I loathe... That Woman." Despite that, He tapped the temporary seal with a finger, preparing Himself for the annoyance that would surely follow. Hild was forbidden to share The Name with anyone, but she had developed an endless list of less than satisfying nicknames in the meantime.

"Hey, B.M.U.! It's been a while!" Hild said cheerfully from the seal.

"Ah... Hild-san, what does that stand for?" Belldandy asked warily.

"Big Man Upstairs, of course!"

"Oh... I see..."

"It's fine, Belldandy," He sighed heavily. "I Know there's a good reason for this call."

"Yup!" Hild agreed. "I've got Your three favorite goddesses here, and if You ever want to see them again, then-"

"Mother," Urd growled in a no-nonsense tone.

"Oh, fine, spoil my fun! Anyway, they're gathered and ready, Big Guy."

"Not just yet," God replied. "First, Skuld must be restored. Only then can they move forward as one. I trust you will assist them in that, as it is your area of expertise?"

"I don't know if I like what You're implying, Chief Oh-So-Big."

"He's saying that it's all your fault, so you should be the one to fix it!" Urd snapped.

"You didn't have to shout, Urd-chan, I'm right next to you..." Hild muttered, her pout almost audible.

God smiled slightly. "Good luck, and... I'm counting on you, Hild-san."

"Blah! Don't depend on me, it feels icky!" Hild cried in disgust, cutting off the connection abruptly.

Chuckling, He went back to his tea. "Belldandy really is a saint, to put up with her."

* * *

"Don't worry, Skuld," Belldandy said as the group slowly moved up the temple steps. "Noble Scarlet will be whole again soon."

Skuld said nothing, knowing it would do no good. Belldandy just didn't seem to have many doubts about anything anymore. At another time, it might've been reassuring, but now, it was only unnerving.

Urd was in front, which actually turned out to be a good thing. The moment she reached the top of the steps, she paused, frowned, and whirled around. "STOP!"

Everyone else froze, staring at her in alarm.

"There's a demon barrier here," Urd muttered, narrowing her eyes.

"So?" Skuld asked. "Onee-sama probably put it up before she left."

"No, there's a barrier made BY a demon here," Urd explained. "It didn't hurt me, but it would hurt you. Give me a minute and I'll-"

"Don't bother, Urd-chan," Hild said, leaning forward to open the invisible barrier with a tap from her finger. "It's my barrier, after all."

"And you were going to mention this when?" Urd demanded angrily.

Hild shrugged innocently. "If anyone other than you or I was in the lead. Although it would've been interesting to see how Bell-chan would do against a little bit of my power..."

"Why would you put a barrier here, of all places?" Skuld asked slowly.

Hild favored her with a sunny smile. "Mama Hild always looks after her kids."

Skuld glared at her. "You didn't look after Urd!"

"Didn't I, Skuld-chan? I made sure she grew up with two sisters that love her. And look how good she turned out!"

"There's no point arguing about it," Belldandy sighed as she moved past them. "Hild-san did open the barrier in time, and I'm sure it's here to protect those who live here."

Urd followed, fully intending to tell Belldandy what she thought about that, but the sight that awaited her froze her in her tracks.

The gardens which Belldandy had once so lovingly tended were absolutely overflowing with rosebushes, and each one was surrounded by a protective layer of blood-red, thorn-filled vines. It was both beautiful and disturbing at the same time.

"I know these vines," Urd whispered softly.

Skuld was about to ask how when she got her answer in the worst possible way.

Keiichi came around the side of the temple in that moment, looking in no way surprised to see them. Curled around his shoulders, with her cheek pressed to his, was an angel that looked a great deal like Gorgeous Rose.

"His angel looks like her?" Urd gasped in shock. "But-"

"No. That is Gorgeous Rose. I'd know her anywhere," Belldandy corrected calmly.

"So what do we do about it?"

"What else? We go say hello!" Hild answered, bouncing lightly on her toes. "Kei-kun! Rosie! I've brought company!"

Keiichi's wary expression didn't change as he approached, even when Hild practically tackled him around the waist in an enthusiastic hug.

"Keiichi-san," Belldandy said softly.

"Belldandy," he replied in the same tone. "It's good to see you again."

"What did you do to Peorth?!" Skuld shouted.

Keiichi gazed at her sadly. "I'm so sorry if I hurt you, Skuld."

Skuld blushed faintly and fell silent.

"It is a good question, Keiichi," Urd added. "One that I'd like answered."

"Peorth is resting inside. It might be better if she explained things herself."

"How is she resting without her angel?"

Keiichi smiled faintly. "Don't worry, she's fine. Gorgeous Rose has been with me for almost a month now."

**End of Part 6.**

* * *

**Next Chapter: Will vs. Way**

God's Will. The Way of the World. Which commands the goddesses to abandon a friend to darkness, and take their rightful place as the Norns of Fate? Or are there some things that must be, simply because they must?


	7. Will vs Way

**Broken Dreamers**

**An Ah! My Goddess Miniseries by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Part 7: Will vs. Way**

* * *

After she became a demon, Peorth became accustomed to waking up in certain ways. Usually, it was along the lines of an angel or two playing with her hair, or being sprawled across Keiichi's chest, both of which were pleasant in their own ways. Keiichi was in full agreement that alarm clocks had to be one of Hild's more diabolical ideas (and even if it wasn't true, Hild gladly took credit for it), and there was not a single one left in the temple.

There were, of course, other acceptable ways to wake Peorth, but as she hadn't been a demon for very long, Hild still felt that she deserved to be spoiled, and wasn't shy about telling Keiichi as much. Naturally, Peorth had no problem with that. The only problem there was that none of them had really factored in Belldandy, for obvious reasons. Keiichi had never really mastered the art of saying no to her, and Peorth hadn't thought to fix that oversight. She didn't mind that he still loved Belldandy, so long as it didn't eclipse any of his other relationships.

Even then, Belldandy would've been polite enough to wait while Peorth made herself presentable. But with Urd and Skuld present, there was little chance of that happening.

So when Peorth awoke to find Keiichi lightly stroking her arm, she didn't immediately realize that they weren't alone.

"What is it, Kei?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep. "I still need a few more hours."

"Sorry," he apologized, leaning close to her ear, "but we have company."

Peorth noticed two things right away: that Keiichi didn't greet her with a kiss, and the tense silence that followed his statement. Moaning, she closed her eyes again. "Make them go away. I'm tiiiiiired!"

"I know," he said sympathetically. "But they insist." In a softer tone, he added, "They're just worried about you. A few minutes wouldn't be too bad, right?"

She glared at him. "You are SO rubbing my feet later."

He blushed slightly. "Um, okay."

The somewhat hesitant response only annoyed her more. Normally, he was all too happy to agree to such an honor. With a loud groan, Peorth sat up in bed, only to find Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld staring at her. "What?! You've never seen someone rudely awakened before?!"

Skuld turned to Urd. "She doesn't LOOK like she's being held against her will..."

Urd nodded. "Yeah, she looks about the same as she always does, which is to say a royal bi-"

"Peorth," Belldandy interrupted loudly, shooting Urd a look, "we were concerned."

"And now that you're not, you can go, right?" Peorth asked hopefully.

"Why does Keiichi have Gorgeous Rose?" Skuld asked, glancing at him in an obviously uncomfortable way.

Peorth sighed. "Kei, can you leave for a bit? Make sure Hild doesn't get bored and start cursing monks again." Keiichi was a little too eager to leave the room, she noted. There would definitely be an extra long foot rub in his future.

The moment Keiichi was gone, Urd practically pounced on Peorth, grabbing her head and staring intently at her forehead and cheek markings. "I don't believe it! You really are a demon now!"

"And you're really not making me regret it right now," Peorth growled, shoving her off. "Now, to answer Skuld's question, her name is Glamorous Rose now, and she's with Kei for my own comfort."

"What are you talking about?" Urd asked incredulously. "You should be in a coma without her!"

"I'm a demon now, Urd," Peorth reminded her. "We can live without angels. The rules are different."

"Well, let's hurry and get her away from Keiichi!" Skuld declared.

Peorth frowned at her. "I appreciate the rescue attempt, but I'm not going anywhere."

"You don't actually WANT to stay a demon, do you?" Urd asked slowly.

Peorth looked expectantly at Belldandy. "You didn't tell them ANYTHING?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Urd demanded.

"We aren't here to save Peorth," Belldandy replied softly. "We're only here to restore Noble Scarlet."

"But we can't just LEAVE her!" Skuld cried. "Onee-sama, she's our friend!"

"Then do me a favor and leave once you've settled things with Kei," Peorth grumbled. "You people ruined my beauty rest, and I could really use it right now."

Skuld stared at her in disbelief. "Why aren't you worried?"

"Why should I be? I have everything I had when I was a goddess, except now I have a good man at my side. I'm happy. Can't you girls accept that?"

"She's been brainwashed!" Skuld shouted. "Urd, make a barrier so she-"

Peorth threw a pillow at her. "I am NOT brainwashed, I'm pissed off! Now would you please just go?!"

"You're going to have to tell them, Peorth," Belldandy said. "It's the only way they'll accept it."

"Shouldn't you have done this already?" Peorth asked accusingly.

"It wasn't my news to tell," Belldandy reminded her.

"Fine! Even if I wanted to be a goddess again, I couldn't. And I DON'T want to be one again, just so we're clear."

"But you can!" Skuld insisted. "Once we put up the barrier, we just have to-"

"You can't, because I won't let you. You might... you might..."

"Might what?" Urd asked.

Peorth looked away. "You might... hurt the baby."

Skuld immediately fainted, hitting the floor with a loud thump.

"You're PREGNANT?!" Urd gasped. "You mean, THAT'S why you've been so-"

"GET OUT!" Peorth shouted. She turned her furious gaze on Belldandy. "I hope you're happy now! Or is that what you wanted? To make me feel ashamed of the most wonderful gift that anyone has ever given me?!"

Belldandy didn't even blink. "I'm happy for you, Peorth. And it is a wonderful gift, isn't it?"

The color drained out of Peorth's face. "Belldandy, I-"

"Nee-san," Belldandy said, turning to Urd, "Peorth is right. We should conclude our business and leave."

Urd stared at her, then glanced at Peorth. "Sure." She picked up Skuld and threw one last worried glance at Peorth before leaving the room.

"Belldandy, you know I didn't mean it that way!" Peorth wailed desperately. "Please..."

"We will always be friends, Peorth," Belldandy murmured. "Nothing could change that. Be good to your family, or I'll know."

* * *

Keiichi was watching Glamorous Rose inspect the rosebushes when Urd came out of the temple, carrying Skuld in her arms. "It didn't go well, then?" he asked.

"It could've been much worse," Urd sighed, sitting down beside him on the porch. "I imagined it would be."

"That doesn't surprise me. You only knew that your mother was involved."

"Why did you join her, Keiichi? Why do you still serve her?"

"It's very simple, Urd," Keiichi replied. "God wants me to be miserable. Hild took away my misery."

Urd shook her head. "You sound so sure."

"I've had a long time to think about it. I was miserable before I met Belldandy. So why did God send her to me at all, just to take her away? Why not just let me remain the way I was before? It's because God is cruel, Urd."

"He may be, but I think He sent Belldandy more for her sake. You taught her what truly being in love is. She didn't have that before she met you, trust me."

"It sounds nice," Keiichi said with a sad smile, "but it only means that my feelings never mattered to God in the first place. That's even worse than wanting me to suffer, not caring at all. But I'm fine with it now. I don't regret serving Hild. Whatever else she is, she's been good to us."

"What about Skuld?" Urd asked quietly. Seeing Keiichi flinch was not as satisfying as she'd hoped.

"An accident," he said truthfully. "I didn't have enough experience controlling my angel then. And I didn't keep the stolen power out of malice. I just didn't ever expect to see Skuld again. But of course I'll return it now."

"It's not that simple, Keiichi. You took the power from Noble Scarlet. She's the one you have to give it back to."

Keiichi didn't question the statement at all, despite it being a lie. "Is there any way to do that without waking Skuld? I don't... I don't want her to look at me that way again."

"Noble Scarlet just needs to be drawn out," Belldandy announced as she finally joined them.

"And you can do that?" Urd asked in shock.

Belldandy smiled as Holy Bell emerged from her back. "Not alone, no. Noble Scarlet is just being wary, and above all, stubborn. She truly is Skuld's angel." She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. "A dear friend desires to greet you, and extends a hand of warmth and affection."

Holy Bell reached into Skuld's hand, slowly but surely drawing out a reluctant Noble Scarlet. Her wings were folded around her body, but it was still easy to see the black, pebbly sections where feathers either refused to grow, or simply could not do so any longer. Noble Scarlet immediately lowered her head, unwilling to meet anyone's eyes. She flinched when Holy Bell gently embraced her, but made no effort to resist.

Keiichi watched with a mix of horror and guilt on his face. He was sorry for what he'd done to Noble Scarlet, but that was only a small part of what had shaken him so deeply. The very idea of such a withdrawn angel belonging to Skuld, who almost required physical affection, for any length of time, would haunt him, to some extent, for the rest of his life.

It was only a gentle touch from Glamorous Rose that reminded Keiichi of what he was meant to do. Even then, he couldn't bring himself to get any closer to Noble Scarlet, so it was Peorth's angel that returned the stolen power, merely by joining in on the already awkward hug. Noble Scarlet didn't seem to enjoy that one bit, but new feathers immediately grew in were there had only been sores before, and she was able to move her damaged wing more easily.

"Please tell Skuld again that I'm sorry, when she wakes up," Keiichi murmured.

"You can't tell her yourself?" Urd asked.

He shook his head. "I don't expect that she'll ever really forgive me. I'm not even sure that she should. Maybe it's better this way."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because I doubt that I'm ever going to see any of you again."

Urd narrowed her eyes. "Why do you think that?"

Keiichi blinked, a little puzzled. "Hild said it was for the best. She made it sound like you'd be really busy..."

"Nee-san, we will," Belldandy said before Urd could protest. "And even if we weren't... it's for the best. For Keiichi-san, Peorth, and for us."

It was only then that Urd realized they hadn't seen Keiichi's angel once since they'd arrived. She wasn't positive as to what that meant, except that it probably had a great deal to do with Belldandy being there. "Is that an order from God?" she asked.

"No," Belldandy admitted, "but it doesn't need to be. Our new duties will make common contact with others nearly impossible."

"I thought we agreed that there wouldn't be any more mysteries, Belldandy?"

"It won't be one for long. The sooner we leave, the sooner everything will be explained."

"Right," Urd said slowly. "And you're perfectly fine with Peorth having Keiichi's baby?"

Belldandy stared at her for a long moment. "Nee-san, that was cruel," she murmured at last.

"Then I guess I'm more like God than either of us knew, huh? You didn't answer my question."

"And I'm not going to," Belldandy replied. "However I feel, the best thing I can do for everyone involved is to stay out of their lives."

"That's all the answer I need to know how you really feel," Urd sighed, startling Belldandy by hugging her firmly. "But it won't get any better, Belldandy," Urd whispered in her ear. "This kind of hurt stays with you and eats you from the inside-out."

Belldandy offered her a small smile. "It's a good thing I'll have my sisters to prevent that from happening, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Urd said quietly. "And if you tell me that was part of God's plan all along, I'm going to pinch you."

"I won't tell you, then," Belldandy practically chirped.

"Shut up," Urd grumbled.

* * *

There were very few beings in Heaven who spoke to God, face to face, on a regular basis. Mostly He spoke through others, or through objects that, if He were anyone else, might seem strange or even frightening. Some liked to think that this was because God was either too busy or just easily amused, but it was neither. The simple fact was that God, even with all the seals that He wore at every moment, was still God, and could, if the need or inclination arose, destroy someone utterly just by looking at them a certain way. And contrary to popular belief, some of the people in Heaven were just as, if not more annoying than the ones in Hell, and God, in His Infinite Mercy, decided to cut them a break, undeserving though they were. So that mostly put an end to meeting people in person.

It was safe to assume, then, that anyone allowed to meet with God in such a rare way was either getting a major promotion, or never going to be heard from again.

Lind already had already had a vague idea of why she'd been summoned that day, but it was still a huge weight off of her shoulders the moment she was safely outside of God's throne room. She was suddenly struck by the childish urge to whip out her new license and shove it into the face of the nearest person, but quickly squashed that idea.

Although when she felt Cool Mint and Spear Mint peeking over her shoulders to get a look, she MAY have held it up a little higher for them, and put a tiny spotlight on it. But only because they deserved it for supporting her for so long. As she'd thought, they were quite pleased, and in a rare show of affection, she allowed them to hug her and rub their cheeks against hers just a bit. Normally, such a thing would've been frowned upon for a Valkyrie, but that would no longer be a problem, where Lind was going.

Unfortunately, Lind was so caught up in celebrating with her angels that she didn't even notice that they were no longer alone. Not until Urd loudly cleared her throat, anyway.

"Do you guys need a few minutes? We can come back later."

Lind was just about to recall her angels when Noble Scarlet appeared and latched onto her neck. Lind's angels immediately noticed her improved attitude and healed wing, and an instant later, all three angels had joined hands and were spinning wildly through the air, grinning and sending feathers flying in all directions.

"Lind!" Skuld cried happily as she ran up. "Isn't it great? Noble Scarlet's been healed!"

"I noticed," Lind said, unable to stop herself from smiling a little. "Good for you, Skuld."

"And for you as well, Lind," Belldandy added, placing a hand on Skuld's shoulder. "Congratulations."

Lind's smile quickly faded as she tried to compose herself. "I don't know what you mean, Belldandy."

Belldandy beamed at her. "Don't be silly. I know a 'new license' smile when I see one."

"Lind, you got promoted!" Skuld squealed, hugging her tightly. Her joy faded as realization set in. "Oh... but that means we won't be working together anymore."

"That means a parting gift is in order." Lind stretched out her hand, materializing her trusty axe. "I want you to have this, Skuld."

Skuld's eyes widened as Lind pressed the weapon into her hands. "But I can't take this! It's yours!"

"Then let's say that I'm entrusting it to you, for the time being."

"Lind, I can't!"

"Skuld," Belldandy said softly, "this is not a mere gift that you can refuse. Doing so would be a great dishonor to Lind. Giving you her weapon is a way of recognizing your growth and maturity. You must accept it, if you would continue to call her your friend."

"But if it means she'll go away, then I don't want it!" Skuld cried. "I'm tired of losing everyone that's important to me!"

"You have to let it go, Skuld," Urd advised. "Lind is a Valkyrie. You're lucky she hasn't been killed in battle yet, and it could still happen."

"That could never happen!" Skuld shouted. "Lind is the strongest goddess there is!"

"Do you love her so much, Skuld?" Belldandy asked softly.

Skuld hesitated, recognizing both the worry and the slight jealousy in her sister's voice. "She was there for me when no one else was. She never called me weak, or said I was in the way. She believed in me when even I didn't. And I'm just supposed to forget all of that?"

"It might be best," Lind said quietly. "You are of the Norns now. You aren't meant to have friends, only associates, and only a few of those. If nothing else, take my axe so that I will be able to protect you in at least that way."

"I'll keep it if you keep mine," Skuld relented, thrusting her debugging mallet into Lind's hand. She half-expected Lind to give it back, but instead stared as the mallet grew in length in Lind's grip, the head nearly tripling in size and sprouting small, silver wings on its sides.

"I would be honored," Lind replied, swinging the mallet slightly to get a better feel for it. She brought it to rest against her shoulder with a thud, apparently not noticing the spider web of cracks that appeared beneath her feet. "Now, please allow me to guide you to the appointed place. The Almighty expects you begin your new duties right away."

* * *

Goddess First Class, Special Duty, Unlimited

That was the title on Skuld's new license, and she never tired of reading it. Underneath that, in letters so big and bold they looked to be burned into the license, were the words, NORN OF THE FUTURE.

Already Skuld had discovered some surprising things about her new job, the biggest of which was that it wasn't even based in Heaven (or Hell, for that matter). All she knew for certain is that Lind had opened three different portals to get them where they were going, and not one looked at all familiar to Skuld. At the end of this rather confusing trip was what looked like it had once been a castle, if it had been blown up several times and then reassembled into a somewhat imposing tower. It had no windows, and indeed, there was no point in having them: for as far as the eye could see, the tower was surrounded on all sides by a sickly gray ocean.

Oddly enough, the tower was completely different on the inside. There was a superior automated security system that would only allow them in after they'd shown both their licenses and their angels. The floors, walls, and ceilings were composed of a polished black substance that was smooth and cool to the touch. Skuld immediately noticed that the floor would be safe for her wheel-type Banpei units. She tended to use the hovering ones more frequently, but those did require more power, and until she was settled in, it was best to stick with the basics.

Unfortunately, Lind was still giving them a tour of the tower, and so far, they'd only made it to the second floor. Worse, there were supposedly some floors below ground level that they'd skipped entirely. By the time they were done, Skuld would probably be too tired to do anything other than fall asleep, and she didn't even know where they were supposed to do that yet.

Naturally, Belldandy noticed when Skuld stopped asking so many questions. "Is anything wrong, Skuld? Are you not feeling well?"

"I-It's nothing, Onee-sama," Skuld said quickly.

"It wouldn't be bothering you if that were true," Belldandy countered. "What's wrong?"

"It's just... I wanted to integrate Banpei-kun's AI with the security system, but-"

"That's an excellent idea," Lind interrupted.

Skuld looked at her in surprise. "It is?"

"Of course. Your safety and comfort here is key. Banpei can help with both."

"But... don't I need permission?"

Belldandy laughed kindly. "Skuld, the Norns don't really report to anyone. And as for the tower's other inhabitants, I'm sure they won't mind. They don't concern themselves with such things."

"Of course you already know them," Urd muttered.

"I've spoken to one of them, and only once. But it was a long and informative conversation. I'm sure Skuld's improvements won't bother anyone."

"In that case, I'll bring Banpei-kun here right now!" Skuld cheered, whipping out a very familiar-looking gun.

"Not the Ultra-Delivery Gun again," Urd sighed. "Didn't we already decide that thing was defective?"

"It's NOT defective! You and Peorth just got in the way! It WORKS!" Skuld cried, her face red. "And I'll prove it. I just need to put it in Reverse Mode to bring him here, and then-"

"Don't point that thing at me!"

"AND THEN, come to me, Banpei-kun!"

Urd dove out of the way as Skuld squeezed the trigger. There was an enormous roar, and the entire hallway shook, but in the end, there was a Banpei unit standing in front of Skuld, awaiting her orders.

Skuld grinned. "See! I told you! My inventions work just-"

"DANGER! DEMON OF ENORMOUS POWER WITHIN RANGE!" Banpei warbled. "MUST PROTECT GODDESSES AND DEFEAT THREAT!" With that, the rocket pack on his back activated, and he zoomed down the hallway, repeating his intentions as loudly as he could.

"Banpei-kun! Come back!" Skuld cried, chasing after him. As she'd feared, he didn't obey, but she wasn't surprised. There were only two conditions under which Banpei could disobey her direct orders: if a demon of great power was detected nearby, or if Skuld and her sisters were facing a fatal threat. On the other hand, if there was a powerful demon inside the tower already, then it needed to be dealt with.

Banpei reached the third basement level when his warning finally changed. "DEMON IN SIGHT! NOW ENGAGING!"

Skuld stared into the long hallway before her, and began to wonder if this particular Banpei unit had some flaws in it. The only thing she could see was an incredibly old woman in hooded black robes slowly shuffling towards them, leaning on a knobby walking stick that was as short and misshapen as its owner.

Banpei was of a different opinion, because he raced towards the woman, small rocket launchers emerging from his shoulders.

The old woman never even paused in her stride. She only made a waving motion with her stick and grumbled, "Away with ye, goblin! You'll not get the best of me today, says I!"

Skuld could think of only one way to stop Banpei from hurting the woman, and even that might fail, but she had no other choice. "Noble Scarlet, I need you! Stop Banpei-kun from hurting her, please!"

An instant later, a powerful stream of water rushed past Skuld, sweeping Banpei off of his feet and tossing him towards Noble Scarlet, who caught him with ease. Skuld quickly slapped the emergency shutdown button on his back, and Banpei powered down at once. She sighed in relief and turned to the old woman, only to get the shock of her life.

An enormous, two-headed dog had appeared just behind the old woman, his body easily filling the entire hallway. His fur was darker than night itself, and thick, foamy saliva dribbled from his gaping mouths, striking the floor with a loud, ominous hissing sound.

"We'll see what you make of this old lady now, poppet!" the old woman cackled. She then noticed that Banpei was no longer a threat, and seemed to shrink in on herself a bit. "Ah, ruined my fun, so ye have." Slowly turning around, she raised her walking stick and rapped the dog sharply on his closest head. "Away with ye, wicked beastie! You're needed no longer!"

Amazingly, the dog let out a high-pitched whine before vanishing into a column of jet black smoke, leaving the stench of burnt hair in his wake.

"What was that?!" Skuld shrieked. "I thought you were a little old lady! No wonder Banpei-kun's sensors detected a demon, if that thing was down here the whole time!"

"Who? Orthrus?" the old woman asked, scratching her cheek with a finger. "He wasn't here the whole time. I just summoned him to eat your goblin. Anyway, he be not a demon. Hellhound, says I! Two totally different creatures they be!"

"From the same place!" Skuld argued.

"And? Would ye go off and slay every demon ye find? Surely there must be one or two ye wouldn't!"

"Well... there's my sister," Skuld admitted hesitantly. "But she's only half-demon..."

"HA! So ye see! Does no good to charge around with wee goblins and the like, slaying whatever beasties ye find!"

"But Urd is a special case! How do I know you're not a demon that will cause trouble?"

The old woman snorted. "Trouble, she says! Trouble's my specialty, poppet, but it's allowed!" She reached into her robes and drew out something that Skuld was familiar with, thanks to Mara: a demon's license. It was clearly old, and very much faded, but somehow when it was pressed into Skuld's hands, it was perfectly legible.

Demon First Class, Special Duty, Unlimited

Issued to ATROPOS, MOIRAE OF THE FUTURE

Authenticity Guaranteed by the 15th Daimakaicho

Skuld was brought out of her shock as the woman grasped her shoulder with a surprisingly firm grip.

"Demon or goddess, we're all the same in this place, poppet," Atropos growled. "We're Fates in the end, no matter where we started from, or what we started as. I was a lot like ye when I first came here: proud and flashy. But after ye watch all those ye call friend pass on by, ye come to accept that only the sisterhood lasts. Much as I hate those two at times, they've never left me. Only the bond matters."

"S-So your sisters are demons, too?" Skuld asked hesitantly.

"Nope!" Atropos replied as she let go. "Just me, poppet, and that's the way I likes it." She offered a smile that displayed a disturbing lack of teeth. "Oh, and I see ye already have the tools of the trade!"

"Tools?"

"Aye, poppet, tools!" The old woman gestured to Lind's axe, which Skuld had strapped to her back. "Me, I'm a snak-snak, but ye be a wak-wak for sure!"

Skuld stared at her, completely puzzled, until she spotted a giant pair of sinister-looking scissors tucked into the old woman's belt. They were stained with a dark red substance that Skuld sincerely hoped was rust. She could easily imagine the horrid sound they'd make as they cut through something. "But the axe isn't mine. I'm just holding onto it for-"

"For as long as ye need it," Atropos murmured. "Aye. It be the same for we Moirae, poppet. Now, on with ye! Even though ye Norns be here now, we Moirae still have ends to cut, says I. Some things be not allowed."

"Like what?"

"No handling the threads of those ye already know," Atropos answered, grinning at her. "Temptation sets in, so it does. So ye need not worry about taking care of Morisato, poppet. He belongs to me."

Before Skuld could protest, Atropos struck the floor with her walking stick, and vanished in a large cloud of black smoke. Skuld was only an instant away from reactivating Banpei to track the old woman down again, when a familiar hand touched her shoulder.

"I did tell you it would be best to cut all ties before we began our work," Belldandy sighed. "Fates cannot be partial to anyone, Skuld, not even those we love. That is why those threads of fate are entrusted to others."

"But how do we know she can be trusted, Onee-sama?"

"She wouldn't still be here if she couldn't. Atropos may enjoy her work a little more than is healthy, but not more than is wise. She will only take him when his time comes. That is her duty, and she will fulfill it. We must do the same."

Skuld bit her lip. "But... if I have Lind's axe, then... I'm supposed to kill?"

Belldandy shook her head. "The Valkyries are often asked to do the same. The difference now is a wider variety of targets, and the ability, in most cases, to choose the method of death. This is a great responsibility, and you should treat it as such. Try not to think of it as killing or murder, Skuld. Some of these people will die in other ways."

"But I'll really be the one killing them all either way, won't I?"

"Death teaches us to value the time we have to live, Skuld. It's how Peorth knows how precious the life of her unborn child is. You shouldn't always think of death as a bad thing."

"But why do I have to be the one in charge of death?" Skuld asked. "Why couldn't it have been Urd?"

"I don't have the answer to that, Skuld," Belldandy admitted. "I only know that this is what we were meant for. Try to look at it this way. If you turned away from your duty, then the next goddess to take up the role might not be as responsible as you are. People would only suffer needlessly in such hands. But the Almighty put His trust in us, and Lind put her faith in you. We cannot and will not fail. Urd and I will support you, so try not to worry."

"Do... you really think I can do this, Onee-sama?"

"You're the only one who can properly answer that," Belldandy replied with a smile. "Peorth's baby will be born in the near future. It'll be an excellent chance for you to see how the process impacts those you care for. Then maybe you'll understand how I felt when you were born."

* * *

God and the Daimakaicho did not typically occupy the same room at the same time, when at all possible. It was dangerous, for one thing, because even with the Doublet System in place, it was extremely difficult not to attack the being that was directly responsible for nearly everything that you were against.

Hild's name-calling did nothing to improve matters, either.

All that aside, some things were simply more important, and if Hild could freely admit that, then so could God. They stood side by side on this day, with arms crossed and mighty heads turned in opposite directions so that neither One would have to look at the Other.

Lind imagined that it was the sort of thing Urd and Skuld might do if they were fighting, but wisely did not allow her face to display how amusing she found that idea. She could tell by the slight arch in His eyebrow that God appreciated the effort, if nothing else.

"As you know, Lind, the appointment of new Fates is a time of major transition for both Heaven and Hell. They essentially report to no one, yet are equally important to both sides. It is necessary for both sides to want to ensure their protection. Traditionally, this was only made possible by having one or more members of the Fates corrupted-"

"Which technically happened this time, too," Hild was sure to add.

God pointedly ignored the interruption. "We have always found that the best protectors of the Fates are those who genuinely care for them. Henceforth, you are Heaven's appointed Guardian of Fate. You must be prepared to defend the Fates against anything that might manipulate, harm, or kill them. The moment you leave this room, your angels will emerge and stay out for the duration of your term as Guardian. Do you have any questions?"

Lind nodded. "Only two. First, it was no accident that both Belldandy and Urd have experience as demons?"

"Let's just say that the tests to become Fates are a little more open-ended these days," Hild chuckled.

"Hell was awarded more control over the tests this time around, since they usually only had one member of the Fates representing them," God added reluctantly.

Lind frowned. "Second, who is Hell's Guardian?"

Hild grinned. "Lucky for me, Heaven has no say in who I choose for that, so long as the demon in question is First Class."

"I still say it's a bad idea," God grumbled.

"When have I EVER listened to YOU?"

They were still bickering when the door behind Lind opened, admitting Hell's Guardian. She didn't recognize him immediately, but the familiar cross-shaped mark on his forehead, as well as Blue Lance hovering behind him, gave him away. "Welsper."

"This body itches," the tall, brown-skinned man complained, tugging at the long, white locks of hair that framed his face. He looked for all intents and purposes like a male version of Urd, which was a rather odd look for someone known for his lack of height. "I'm going to hate this, aren't I?"

"You said you'd do anything for Bell-chan, didn't you?" Hild asked. "And you wouldn't hear of anyone else from Hell protecting her."

"But that was before you stuck me in a new body!"

"So? This body is far better suited to be the Guardian than any of your previous ones. The only way I'd ever consider doing anything about it was if it somehow kept your from accessing your full power."

Welsper frowned. "Well, now that you mention it, I don't think that-"

"Oh, I was hoping you'd say that!" Hild squealed, yanking a handful of white hair from her head. "Let's see, six or seven thousandths should be more than enough..."

Welsper paled. "You wouldn't dare! You couldn't possibly be THAT evil!"

Hild stuck her tongue out at him, and the new, teenaged Hild that appeared at her side did the same.

"I suppose this is for the best," God sighed. "Each Guardian has incentive to protect at least one of the Norns. But I still don't think it's a good idea."

"I don't remember an opinion being asked for," Hild pointed out, giggling as she brushed out her younger clone's hair. "I can't wait to see the look on Urd-chan's face when she finds out!"

* * *

Belldandy stared at the mess on the floor and sighed. "Nee-san, I'm starting to think that you're doing this on purpose. That's the seventh teacup you've dropped today."

"I told you, I can't help it, dammit!" Urd snapped, gripping her wildly twitching right hand. "Every time I start to take a sip, my demon side goes nuts! Hild is up to something, I just know it!"

"She can't be bugging you ALL of the time," Skuld groaned. "It gets boring, eventually. There must be other things that she does."

"Yeah, and as much as I hate to admit it, I'd rather have her bugging me, where I can see her, so at least I know she's not plotting to blow up the Earth or something."

"Hild-san wouldn't do that," Belldandy disagreed.

"And I suppose you're going to tell me she wouldn't because there's some good in her?" Urd asked sourly.

"Actually, she wouldn't because some of her best demons are there right now. At the very least, she'd call them back to Hell before she blew up Earth, which would give us some warning."

Urd scowled at her. "Have I mentioned I don't much care for your attitude lately?"

**End of Part 7.**

* * *

**Next Chapter: A Last Wish**

Every child born into this world belongs to the Fates. Every life follows the paths woven by their skilled hands. Every death occurs because they will it. They do not do any of this because they can, or because they want to. They do it solely because they must.

* * *

Endnotes:

Orthrus is the arguably lesser-known (at least, I just found out about him) brother of Cerberus, and both are technically hellhounds. Orthrus has two heads, while Cerberus typically has three.

Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos are the Moirae, more or less Greek versions of the Norns. To be clear, they are only mentioned as goddesses to my knowledge, but since Atropos is directly responsible for death, she is generally considered to be sinister where the other two are not. So I didn't think her being a demon was much of a stretch in this case.


	8. A Last Wish

Notes: The last chapter. It's been weird. If it hasn't been terribly obvious yet, I've been mixing various mythologies with the OMG universe (well, mostly the anime universe, anyway).

**Broken Dreamers**

**An Ah! My Goddess Miniseries by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Part 8: A Last Wish**

* * *

Being Heaven's Guardian of Fate was not nearly as exciting as Lind had hoped it would be. While she did not exactly hope for situations that would require her expertise, she enjoyed feeling useful and cutting loose occasionally as much as anyone. But the simple fact was that she, Welsper, and Hecate (Hild's teenage clone, who had been named so only after "Hild: The Sequel" was unanimously rejected) were enormously powerful. Common sense had to prevail after a certain point, and apparently the point was located somewhere just outside of the tower they called home.

There had been a few skirmishes, of course, but nothing that hadn't been dealt with in a matter of seconds.

For all his complaints of itchiness and irregularity with his new body, Welsper's forehead laser had only grown in accuracy and power (although it did tend to ruin his "look," so he'd taken to wearing his hair in a single, long braid again, and mostly ignoring Hecate's taunts of him being a girly man).

Hecate, not surprisingly, knew nothing of restraint, and was only allowed to attack from the top of the tower, since that was really the only way to ensure that she didn't accidentally kill anyone on her side. She seemed to prefer ridiculously large missile launchers, and despite Skuld's best efforts, had yet to use a weapon that didn't level everything in the surrounding area.

Lind liked to think that she was the most normal one of the bunch, but was starting to doubt even that. Despite their differences, serving alongside Welsper and Hecate for what seemed like forever had more or less made them friends. At least, they were good for finding ways to pass the time, even if it was only something as normal as card games or cleaning up another of Hecate's messes after target practice.

Truthfully, there was very little guarding that they actually did. The Norns were not exactly powerless, at any rate, so the Guardians were there more for appearances than anything else. One of them accompanied any Norn that left the tower, and even that was more because Belldandy and Skuld liked their Guardians, while Urd did her best to hide from Hecate, for all the good it did.

One thing that Lind had been prepared for was the minimal contact that the Norns had with anyone, including their Guardians. Frequent contact bred strong feelings, which lead to the temptation of altering individual fates. Ultimately, it was simpler and less painful to avoid people entirely. Of course, as all three Guardians had been born long before Urd, Belldandy, and Skuld assumed their duties, the Norns could not alter their fates, anyway. More than likely, they all belonged to Atropos, The Last of the Moirae, the only other Fate present in the tower aside from the Norns.

Belldandy had never gone into detail about the Moirae, and no one else had offered any information on them. Still, it was fairly obvious that Atropos would remain in the tower at least as long as she had any strings of fate left to cut. And despite a nearly disastrous first meeting, Skuld spent the majority of her time with the old woman, learning the tricks of trade. For her part, Atropos was either fond of Skuld, or simply resigned to passing on her art to the youngest Norn. Either way, Skuld no longer had any reservations about taking lives, and at times even seemed to enjoy it. That had bothered Urd, until Belldandy reminded her that it was better for Skuld to like the work, than to fear it for as long as she had to do it. Atropos had certainly not been old when she started, and that was quite a sobering idea, considering how old she had to be now.

Atropos lived in the "bowels" of the tower (a phrase she was fond of cackling rather loudly), or the lowermost levels, all of which were below ground level. She had never liked venturing up any higher, and now that she had a small army of Banpei drones to serve her, she had a perfect excuse. Skuld could usually be found at her side, peering over the old woman's shoulder as she worked. This ultimately meant two things: first, that Skuld now almost always smelled faintly of mothballs and an odor that Urd insisted came from frequenting dark, damp places. Second, that Lind was the one sent to fetch Skuld, as Atropos would tolerate no one else entering her domain.

That was the case on this particular day, but for once, Lind was happy to do so. It was the first time in a while that all three Norns had a reason to leave the tower together, as Skuld was usually left behind while Urd and Belldandy worked as a pair. And while Lind had no doubt that Atropos was quite wise, she was also concerned that such wisdom had become a little stale over time (it was nicer than calling the old woman insane, anyway). It could only do Skuld good to get some fresh air with her sisters, who she was spending more and more time away from.

But Lind had only made it to the ground level when she bumped into Skuld on the stairs. It took her a moment to realize that the person was, in fact, Skuld, for that matter. Skuld was almost a head taller than she recalled, with severely pale skin and hair in tangles that hung limply over her eyes.

"You shouldn't have come, Lind," Skuld said quietly. "I'm not going."

"But, Skuld-sama, this is Peorth's baby!"

"All the more reason why I shouldn't go. What if I get The Call while I'm there?"

Lind had no immediate response to that. Each Fate just knew where she was needed next, and merely referred to such instincts as "The Call." It would not have been the first time that Skuld had come along, simply to be with her sisters, and ended up claiming the life of some child that they'd just guided into the world. It was one of the aspects of her duty that Skuld had never gotten used to, although Atropos seemed optimistic about her future chances.

"Of course you're coming," Belldandy said as she suddenly appeared behind Lind. "It may be Peorth's last chance to see you, Skuld. You must come."

"I'm not," Skuld insisted, backing up a step.

Belldandy beamed at her. "Urd and I will wait for you outside."

"Onee-sama, I'm not-"

"Don't keep us waiting too long." Belldandy turned and started walking up the stairs.

Skuld scowled after her.

Lind sighed. "You know they'll stand out there for weeks if you don't go. I hate to think what would happen to Peorth's children if they were late."

"Traitor," Skuld muttered under her breath, but she stomped her way after Belldandy, anyway.

* * *

Keiichi had not slept since his first child was born. It had been two and a half days since then, and he wasn't even tired.

More than anything, he was afraid.

He had stopped worrying about things like fate a long time ago. But he was quickly learning once again that unexpected twists of fate were just as big a problem as they had been back when he was still human.

He'd left the naming up to Peorth, as when he'd first asked, she'd come up with a list of potentials that was longer than he was tall, and trusted her to pick a good one. Anyway, she'd said it was either that, or HE would carry their next children.

The birth had been messy (although according to Hild, they all were), but Keiichi had witnessed it solely because Glamorous Rose had wanted to. He didn't regret it, although he was fairly certain that the resulting stress had contributed to a heart attack somewhere down the road.

Nothing would ever replace the memory of seeing his son's head for the first time.

Although the memory of a tiny, unexpected hand clinging to the baby's foot was a very close second.

Peorth had never said anything about expecting twins, and from the accusing look on her face after delivering two babies, suspected Keiichi had snuck one into her while she wasn't looking.

All things considered, Hild was more than likely capable of that, especially since she delivered the babies herself, but denied any involvement.

After she'd calmed down, Peorth had named the boy Hjuki, and the girl Bil.

They were, at first glance, completely normal children, save for the matching red diamond markings on their foreheads and cheeks. Hjuki had a bit of bad balance from the start, and Bil, forever in his shadow, would follow faithfully, even when her brother tumbled headlong into things. Each time Hjuki began to scrunch up his face to wail after a fall, he would notice Bil beside him, in an equally ridiculous position, and giggle uncontrollably, his own troubles completely forgotten. Naturally, Bil would join in because her brother was laughing, and neither one would be able to stop unless they were separated. Such was the strength of the bond between them.

* * *

The Norns returned to the temple exactly three days after Peorth gave birth, although only they were fully aware of it.

Belldandy and Urd chose the front entrance, and even waited to be admitted. This was, of course, completely unnecessary for Fates, but Belldandy insisted that that was no excuse for a lack of manners. At any rate, she wanted Keiichi and Peorth to be fully aware of what they were doing there. Urd thought this was a very bad idea, and Skuld agreed with her.

Which was why Skuld entered the temple ten minutes after her sisters, neither asking for entry nor allowing herself to be seen by anyone who didn't know to look for her there. Hild saw her, but thankfully remained silent on the subject. Peorth even confessed to being disappointed that Skuld wasn't there to hold the babies, and Belldandy assured her that wherever Skuld was, she was feeling the same way.

Once Belldandy and Urd had done what they were meant to do, the three sisters returned to their tower.

Along the way, Skuld turned to Belldandy and asked softly, "Are you happy now? I told you it was a bad idea."

"I would not have your first time seeing Peorth's children also be the last time, Skuld."

"There's no point in fighting over it," Urd sighed. "We did our jobs, and Skuld will do hers at the appointed time. There's nothing else we can do, is there? For all the power we supposedly have, we're powerless."

* * *

The problem with appointing a lifelong Guardian of Fate was that it put a severe drain on the combat forces. After which, there was generally a scramble to produce some high-ranking individual to fill the void. The Daimakaicho had nor problem here: demons were always squabbling and climbing over each other for power. Welsper's spot was filled in exactly three seconds.

God chose another route. As the Norns were all goddesses, along with Lind, he had lost four virtual powerhouses. They would be tricky to replace even under the best circumstances. Wanting to avoid any power struggles, God quickly solved the problem Himself.

He made an angel, wrapped it in a pleasing body, gave it all the necessary abilities, and had it join the Valkyries.

In one day, the angel had risen to the top of their ranks. By the next, it was regarded as the most powerful fighter in Heaven, and was given command over all of Heaven's armies.

The angel had many names, and wore them like badges of honor. The most common, and the one it preferred most at the time, was Aurvandil.

For the most part, Aurvandil was a beautiful and peaceful angel. It carefully weighed its options before making a decision, and then pursued that choice with all of its considerable might and cunning. Many considered Aurvandil to be the perfect angel. Whether that was true or not, it certainly seemed to be the case. And perhaps that is where the trouble began.

Aurvandil was fairly simple-minded by necessity. It could not be bothered with complexities that might distract from its ultimate purpose. For example, it understood that demons were the enemies of Heaven, and that while there were rules of engagement, there was really only one option when encountering them.

Unfortunately, this also meant that there were no special cases or exceptions in Aurvandil's eyes. And when it turned those eyes onto Earth, Aurvandil's heart was greatly troubled to find that the Daimakaicho seemed to have such free reign there. Rather than share those feelings with anyone, Aurvandil approached its Maker, and asked if it might be allowed to descend to Earth, in order to re-establish Heaven's domain there. God granted it permission, and Aurvandil eagerly accepted its new task. It did not, at any point, entertain thoughts of engaging Hild directly. To do so might very well destroy the Earth in the resulting battle, after all. No, Aurvandil's first targets were both largely defenseless and yet extremely important to the Daimakaicho: the children of her most beloved demons.

* * *

Skuld's duty as a Fate was not as straightforward as many liked to think. It was true that she could only work within the limits that Belldandy had already decided upon, but even that usually gave Skuld some creative control. For example, if Belldandy had foreseen that a person wouldn't live past 65, Skuld could sometimes claim them as early as 60. She made a point to carefully consider the person's entire life before making such judgments.

Strings of fate came in a wide variety of colors, but Skuld always saw the area under her influence as black. Her axe could cut anywhere within that area, and how delicately or violently she did so determined the nature of death.

The only real problem with this was that Skuld could see her area of influence from the moment that Belldandy rolled out a person's string of fate. She had learned it was best not to be present during those times, but of course Belldandy had dragged her along to see Peorth's children for the first time.

And the only consolation was that even if Belldandy couldn't see Skuld's area of influence, there was no way she wouldn't have noticed that one of the children's strings was tragically short. So at very least, Skuld would not have to suffer the weight of such knowledge alone.

* * *

Hjuki and Bil grew fast, almost as if they had something to accomplish in a hurry. They displayed none of the demonic powers expected of them, but Hild had still insisted on applying seals, as a precaution, once they reached the age of two. Since she was the one that would know about such things, Keiichi and Peorth agreed. If nothing else, the seals would prevent the twins from hurting each other, and Hjuki was accident-prone already.

Belldandy was a constant presence in the children's lives, for better or for worse. It didn't take Urd long to figure out what that meant, although Skuld's reluctance to be around the twins may have told her just as much.

"You know nothing good can come of spending time with them, don't you?" Urd demanded each time that Belldandy asked her to come along. "It'll only make it harder to let them go."

But Belldandy's response was always the same. "Nee-san, you don't keep your love from a child because it won't survive. If anything, you love them more, because they only have so little time."

"That's what they have parents for, Belldandy! You should just stay away from them! They aren't your kids!"

"No, but they could've been easily enough."

There was nothing that would keep Belldandy away from the twins, and they all knew it. But Urd felt she had to try, because there were some things that even their Guardians couldn't protect them from. Just because Belldandy was accustomed to allowing herself to be hurt didn't mean that it had to go on, not when it could be avoided so easily.

Skuld never participated in such arguments, though each one made her blood boil. Belldandy and Urd could say whatever they wanted, but in the end, she would be the one to feel the most pain. She would be the one responsible for taking Peorth's child away, and nothing else mattered.

* * *

A few weeks after her tenth birthday, Bil woke up in bed to find a woman with an enormous axe gazing down at her. Right away, she knew two things: first, that she'd never seen the woman before, and second, that the woman was still somehow familiar to her.

"Go back to sleep," the woman ordered, turning away. "You'll need it."

Immediately, Bil was reminded of Urd, who, despite being Belldandy's sister, always seemed to be in a foul mood. "Are you related to Bell nee-chan, too?"

The woman froze, and then slowly turned back to her. "She is my older sister. Go to-"

"Then you're Skuld nee-chan!" Bil cried happily, pointing at her.

"Who told you to call me that?" Skuld demanded, frowning.

Bil blinked, clearly surprised by her anger. "Bell nee-chan did."

Skuld said nothing, but her frown deepened as she turned away again.

"Want to play?" Bil asked, hoping to ease the mood.

"Not particularly, no."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"What I was meant to do," Skuld murmured, glancing back at her. "Just for today, I will walk with you."

Bil thought about that for a moment, then climbed out of bed, intending to cross the room and wake her brother.

"Don't bother. He can't see me."

"Why not?" Bil asked, pouting.

"Because he doesn't need to, and it's easier that way."

"For who?"

Skuld glared at her. "Go. To. Sleep."

Bil didn't, but she was really starting to wish that Skuld was more like Urd, who at least gave her potions to play with as a distraction.

* * *

Aurvandil's body was a work of both art and genius. It was somehow simultaneously perfect for housing an angel, and yet in no way restricted the angel's power by itself. True, Aurvandil wore seals like any high-ranking individual in Heaven, but did not necessarily use them as the others did. For Aurvandil's service had earned it something only a handful of God's Chosen had ever even glimpsed.

Aurvandil had earned the Almighty's Favor.

It was, quite simply, God's faith in a select few to carry out His Will, and ultimately, in certain situations, to represent the Will of God Himself.

The Almighty's Favor was as powerful as it was mysterious. It had no one definite shape or feel, but was rumored to allow its wearer the power to do virtually anything they wished, so long as it was in the interest of upholding God's Will.

For example, Aurvandil had no problem descending to Earth and landing directly in front of the temple, breaking through Hild's barrier as if it had never even been there at all. With a simple gesture, the angel erected its own barrier, one that would completely suppress any demonic power within it. Even if the children's parents tried to interfere, there was nothing they could do without their powers.

Aurvandil found the twins easily enough: they were still in bed, although wide awake and very confused. Without a word, the angel extended its hands, intending to end their existence with twin bursts of holy fire.

The angel never even saw Skuld until her axe was buried in its back.

"Your determination is commendable, Fate-cutter," Aurvandil said calmly, "but you overstep your bounds. I am doing the Master's Work. Surely it has not been so long that you've forgotten-"

"You're only supposed to kill one," Skuld growled through gritted teeth.

Aurvandil slowly looked over its shoulder at her. "As you wish. First one, then the other. Interfere with me again, and you will be sorry."

"That isn't what I-!"

"Be gone." Aurvandil flexed the muscles in its back, and both Skuld and her axe were driven through the wall by a small but powerful storm of snow-white feathers. The angel turned back to the children, who were clinging to each other in fear. "Do not be afraid, little ones. My Master has granted you His Mercy this day, undeserving as you are. Your deaths will be swift and without pain." It stretched out its hands again.

"NO!" Skuld shouted as she dove through the hole in the wall, axe in hand.

Aurvandil did not even turn to look at her, and this time the swing of Skuld's axe halted mere inches from the angel's side. "You cannot oppose me. I am shielded by His Favor."

"It didn't stop me the first time!" Skuld snapped.

The angel frowned, as if this hadn't occurred to it. "True. Perhaps I should deal with you first." Aurvandil drew a flaming sword out of thin air, and then slashed it across Skuld's forearms, forcing her to drop the axe and backpedal. "I will not kill you. I am not allowed to. But whatever it takes to keep you down is acceptable."

"What you're doing is wrong!" Skuld hissed, covering the wounds in her arms in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. "I've seen their fate! Only one is meant to die now!"

"Perhaps you were wrong about their fate, and yours as well." Aurvandil swept its sword at her legs, but Skuld leapt over weapon and rocked the angel's head to the side with a vicious kick. However, if Aurvandil felt any pain, it did not show in its eyes.

"You've forgotten your purpose," Skuld gasped, stumbling a bit as her vision blurred momentarily. "I was made to severe strings of fate, just as you were made to replace my sisters and I. There's no reason for you to do this!"

"There is every reason. If you had done your jobs correctly, I wouldn't need to take such drastic steps. Now you get in my way as I try to correct your mistakes. You cannot be forgiven. Feel the Wrath of the Almighty!" The angel's body went rigid as an enormous pair of wings burst from his back, destroying nearly everything in the vicinity with a single, powerful flap. Everything else was sent flying wildly into the air, Skuld and the twins included.

Skuld's eyes went to her axe, which slammed into her waiting hands with nearly enough force to take her arms off at the elbows. Then she looked to the twins, and was horrified to see that Aurvandil was closing in on them, his sword extended and heading straight for Hjuki's chest. There was no way she could reach them in time.

Just as she had known, long before she'd come here.

"I'm sorry," Skuld whispered, closing her eyes. When she opened them, Noble Scarlet had emerged and was gently stroking her bloody arms. "Guide my hands, Noble Scarlet. I can't afford to miss."

* * *

Aurvandil's eyes gleamed with triumph as it drew closer to its destiny, in the form of two frightened, soon to be deceased demon children.

And then it was all stolen away in an instant.

The demon boy had gone rigid with terror, and made for an easy target. That he had placed himself in front of his sister was perhaps admirable, but still pointless.

Aurvandil's sharp eyes caught a flash of light in the demon girl's eyes, and in a blur of motion, she suddenly appeared in front of her brother, shoving him away with one hand and holding out the other in a meaningless attempt to prevent her own death. She would be cut down just as easily.

And she was.

Just not the way she was supposed to.

An instant before Aurvandil could reach her, the Fate-cutter's axe flew directly over the girl's head, taking two dark brown hairs with it. The girl stiffened at once, her eyes first growing dim, and then dark. Then she dropped out of the sky like a rock.

The demon boy was screaming her name, doing his best to reach her before she hit the ground.

Aurvandil felt cheated. Perhaps it shouldn't have mattered, since the girl was still dead. But it did matter. Destroying these children was a destiny that the angel had crafted for itself. To be robbed of that was an unforgivable offense. The Fate-cutter would be dealt with.

But only after the boy was dead, too.

* * *

Skuld sank heavily to the ground, allowing pain and fatigue to finally overtake her. More than that, there was guilt weighing her down as she watched Noble Scarlet carefully lower Bil's body the ground. She had thought things could get no worse.

Then Hjuki landed next to his fallen twin, and they did.

"You... YOU DID THIS!" the boy screamed, clutching Bil's lifeless body to his chest. "WHY?! WHAT'D SHE EVER DO TO YOU?!"

Skuld had no words to offer him, and even if she had, she wouldn't have bothered.

"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"

Briefly, she thought about explaining that she had done Bil a favor. That dying an instant, painless death from her axe was infinitely more merciful than feeling a flaming sword plunge through the heart. But Skuld decided against it. Some part of her felt she'd earned his hatred. If he never forgave her, she would just have to live with that on her conscience.

She almost didn't notice when Aurvandil touched down behind Hjuki. But Noble Scarlet did, and as the flaming sword swept towards Hjuki's back, Skuld's angel threw herself in its path.

Pain unlike anything Skuld had ever known stabbed through her body, and a choked scream was all she could manage before she collapsed beside Bil.

Hjuki whirled around, his eyes widening in fear as he watched the two angels struggle against each other. He didn't want either one to win, for fear of what might happen to him afterwards. As far as he knew, he had no allies in this place. If his parents hadn't come yet, it had to be because they couldn't. There were only two other people that Hjuki knew for sure would come if he called, so he did.

"BELL NEE-CHAN!!! HILD BAA-CHAN!!! HELP!!!"

Technically, either one could've arrived instantly, had they chosen to ignore certain restrictions, and had they not minded the idea of potentially ripping the planet in half along the way.

Belldandy obeyed the restrictions, because she was supposed to, and because she knew Hild wouldn't.

Consequently, Belldandy, along with Urd and Lind, arrived five seconds after Hild. They really only had to follow the stench of burning air and ruined ground. They descended just in time to see Hild raising Aurvandil's own flaming sword for what could only be a fatal blow. All that remained of the angel's wings were large, blackened stumps on its back that resembled overgrown warts more than anything else.

Urd immediately went to tend to Skuld, while Belldandy and Lind slowly approached the Daimakaicho.

"Hild-san," Belldandy said softly, "please stop."

Hild didn't look at her, but she did pause. "Sorry, Bell-chan, but I really want to do this right now. Part of you does, too, I'm sure."

"There has been enough death today."

"That's your opinion. Now, I'm sure you're going to tell that there's a dead goddess out there somewhere because of the Doublet System, but that doesn't make things even this time. And that's the real beauty of it: this angel isn't connected to anyone else. It'll be a clean break."

Belldandy shook her head. "I doubt the Almighty will see it that way."

"Do I look like I care?" Hild snapped. "Who do you think Made this thing, anyway? It's a mistake that needs to be put down, and I'm going to do it!"

"Will you stay your hand as a favor to me, then? I would be most grateful."

"Bell-chan, if I let you owe me for this, you'd NEVER be able to pay me back what that kid was worth. So don't even bother."

"Then will you do it simply because we are friends who have both suffered a similar loss?"

Hild considered that for several moments. "Under one condition: you tell what's keeping you from tearing Aurvandil apart."

Belldandy frowned. "Hild-san, I do not-"

"Bell." Hild finally turned her head, and Belldandy was startled to see the start of tears in her eyes. "This monster tried to kill our Bil-chan. Maybe you can lie now without being punished, but I won't let you do it here, not while Bil's body is still warm. Tell me the real reason."

Belldandy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Some things are worse than death."

That meant nothing to the others that heard it, but Hild smirked and lowered the sword. "Sure you won't come back to work for me, Bell-chan? Sometimes I think you'd make a perfect demon."

"You know I won't. But I do appreciate the appraisal of my talents, as always." Belldandy then turned to Lind. "Peorth and Keiichi-san should be nearby, but Aurvandil's barrier will have severely weakened them. Please go and assist them."

Lind nodded and quickly flew away.

"There was a barrier?" Hild asked in surprise.

"I'm sure you must have smashed through it without noticing," Belldandy explained. "It's no longer a concern, at any rate. What I don't understand is how Hjuki was able to call out for us while it was still functioning. It should have prevented him from doing so."

"Yeah. Funny how that worked out," Hild said, not sounding at all surprised.

Belldandy stared at her. "Hild-san, do you-?"

"You're asking too many questions today, Bell-chan," Hild interrupted, tossing an arm over her shoulders. "You should, as they say, have a little faith. That is how it goes, right? Not really my area, you understand."

Belldandy smiled patiently. "I suppose you are right."

* * *

It was only as Skuld opened her eyes that the realization hit her.

If today had been the day she was meant to die, she would have no way of knowing it. Atropos certainly wouldn't have said anything. Skuld had only known for sure that Bil was going to die. If Aurvandil had managed to kill them both, would she have been prepared? She didn't know, but fate had smiled upon her this day.

More or less, anyway.

Skuld got a rude shock when a pair of brown fingers pinched her ear, hard.

"OW OW OW!"

"And if you EVER do something that stupid again," Urd growled, punctuating her words with sharp tugs on Skuld's ear, "I'm going to use your little robots for target practice again. What were you thinking, Skuld? Were you even thinking?"

"I had a job to do!" Skuld protested as she sat up and clapped a hand over her aching ear.

Urd glared at her. "You could've asked us for help. You could've warned us. You could've said you were going to nearly get yourself killed by the Almighty's most powerful angel ever!"

"But it was my duty!"

"We're all Fates, Skuld. More than that, we're sisters." Urd's voice trembled slightly. "You stupid little brat. What if you had died? Where would that leave us? What would you have me do without my baby sister to boss around?"

Skuld was unable to meet Urd's eyes, and made no move to pull away when Urd drew her into a tight hug.

"Don't you ever do that to me again, Skuld. I mean it!"

Skuld suddenly had a new appreciation for how much Hjuki had to hate her now. "Say whatever you want, Urd. But I know what I did was the right choice. If I had shared the burden with you, we would also share Hjuki's hatred. I spared you from that. You should be thankful."

"It isn't your job to protect me, Skuld," Urd replied. "You were just trying to make me look bad again."

"Not everything is about you. Anyway, if I had brought you along, I would've been too worried to do things right. You can barely take care of yourself as it is without one of us to watch you."

Urd's eyes narrowed, and she raised a threatening fist. "You little-"

"Belldandy! I found them!" a voice shouted.

Skuld paled as Lind returned, having to support Peorth and Keiichi as they were still recovering from the effects of Aurvandil's barrier. She briefly considered running, and Urd must have been thinking the same thing, because her grip on Skuld's shoulders tightened.

"No running away, little sister," Urd murmured in her ear. "You wanted to handle this by yourself, so go ahead."

Skuld could think of no words to explain what had happened. She watched Hjuki run to his parents and bury his face against Peorth's leg. He was sobbing hard enough that it would be difficult to understand his words, but she saw him jab his finger in her direction several times. An odd look came over Peorth's face: not one of anger or hatred, but realization. Once Hjuki was nestled safely in Keiichi's arms, Peorth quickly walked over and knelt beside Skuld, who was staring at the ground.

Peorth gently but firmly seized Skuld's chin, forcing their eyes to meet. "I'm sorry you had to do that, Skuld, but thank you."

Skuld's eyes widened. "W-What are you talking about?"

"Sorry. I keep forgetting that you wouldn't know. Wait here for a minute." She stood up, turned away and, to Skuld's growing shock, began to call for Bil.

Skuld looked at Urd, who shrugged. "I-I didn't know Bil's death would hit her this hard. She was always so strong, and now-"

"Skuld," Urd said faintly, her eyes widening, "look!"

Although she had no idea what she would see, Skuld mentally prepared herself. She suspected that this day could only get worse. But her expectations were shattered by the sight of Bil, glowing like a small star, rising from her brother's back on white, batlike wings. She immediately settled on Hjuki's back, wiping away his tears and kissing his cheek.

"You really did us a huge favor, Skuld," Peorth explain with a smile. "We knew Bil was special, but neither of us could figure out how to get her to her rightful state without killing her. I guess there was no other way."

"Wait! You mean... she's okay?" Skuld asked in disbelief.

"Of course she is. Once Hjuki understands that, I'm sure he'll apologize to you. So don't be too hard on yourself."

"I don't understand!" Skuld cried. "You're supposed to hate me!"

"Hate you?" Peorth asked. "You saved her. If anything would've destroyed her utterly, it was being killed by Aurvandil. I much prefer your kind of death, frankly."

"But... none of this makes any sense! How could you know she was still alive?"

Peorth shrugged. "Hild told us about all of this a week after Bil was born."

Skuld stared at her in a combination of fury and disbelief. "That's CHEATING!"

Again, Peorth shrugged. "Did you forget which side we're on? Honestly, you should be used to it by now. Anyway, if we hadn't known, or if you'd failed, we WOULD hate you. So be glad we're a bunch of cheaters." She reached out and lightly stroked Skuld's hair. "Thank you for saving my babies, Skuld. I'll never forget this."

Skuld could only stare as Peorth rejoined her family. She couldn't shake the feeling that this was all wrong somehow. She didn't feel like a heroine, and had no desire to be one.

"I take it back," Urd said in her ear. "That little brat showed us both up."

* * *

"Got any sevens?"

"Go Fish."

Sighing, Hecate drew another card and added it to her hand. "I don't like this game anymore!"

"Well, think of another," Welsper demanded. "It's your turn."

"Strip Poker!"

"And STOP SUGGESTING THAT GAME!!!"

"But why?" Hecate whined. "It'd be fun!"

Welsper glared at her. "It'd be pointless! If you want to see me naked so bad, go into your room, take off all your clothes in front of the mirror, and imagine yourself without breasts! We practically have the same body as it is!"

"If we're the same, then you shouldn't be so shy about this!"

"You shouldn't be so interested!"

Hecate pouted and glanced over his head. "You agree with me, right, Blue-chan?"

Welsper's frown deepened. "Her name is Wasp of the Blue Lance. Blue Lance, if you must. Not... Blue-chan."

Hecate pointedly ignored him. "Blue-chan, want to split a muffin with me? It's blueberry!"

"She does not-!" Welsper gaped as his angel swept across the table and pounced on the muffin top that was offered to her. "Do you have ANY idea how many rules of reality that you just broke?!"

"All I want to know is if you can taste it."

"Yes, oddly enough, but that's not the point!"

"The point," Hecate stated, "is that she likes it. See?" She passed Blue Lance another muffin, which was gladly accepted.

"Stop feeding her!" Welsper snapped.

Both Hecate and Blue Lance stared at him with wide, watery eyes.

"Oh, forget it," he grumbled, tossing his cards on the table in disgust.

"How unfortunate," Hecate sighed. "You have a very grumpy host, Blue-chan. I feel sorry for you."

Blue Lance nodded in agreement, and was rewarded with another muffin.

Welsper thought about yelling at her not to agree with Hecate, then realized it would be pointless. Thankfully, he was saved from being alone with them when the door opened, admitting Lind and her twin angels. She took one look at Welsper's face and shook her head.

"Can't you two ever get along? You're almost related as it is."

"We are NOT! I was NOT born in this body!" Welsper roared.

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Lind managed that in a flat tone, not seeming the least bit sorry.

Welsper glared at her. "You know, if you just wanted to infuriate me, you only had to leave me alone with HER for a little longer."

"Calm down," Lind said as she took a seat. She glanced at Hecate, and then stared at Blue Lance, who was working on her sixth muffin. "Angels... eat muffins?"

"They do now," Welsper grumbled.

Hecate grinned and pushed a large basket of muffins towards Lind. "I brought plenty! You try some, too!"

"I don't really want any," Lin replied.

"I wasn't offering them to YOU," Hecate snorted. "Somehow, I knew you'd be just as bad as Welsper. They're for your angels!"

"Well..." Lind glanced back at Spear Mint and Cool Mint, who were trying not to be too obvious about drooling. "I guess it's okay." She immediately received a kiss of gratitude on each cheek, and then muffins were flying out of the basket as all three angels dove in.

"So how did things go out in the field?" Hecate asked.

"It was a real mess, at first. Aurvandil tried to kill Peorth's kids."

"What?! WHY?!"

"I'm not really sure. Hild stepped in, but not before Skuld killed Bil so that Aurvandil couldn't do it."

"Then... Bil-chan's dead?!"

"No, she's an angel, and quite happy, from what I saw."

Hecate blinked slowly. "How did that happen?"

Lind shook her head. "I honestly don't know. I suspect Hild does, but she didn't say anything. Anyway, the last I heard, the Almighty left it up to Hild to decide what happens to Aurvandil."

"Think there's any chance she might discard the body?" Welsper asked, suddenly interested.

"You REALLY don't like your body, do you?"

"Didn't we cover that on day one? And would you SLOW DOWN, PLEASE?!"

Blue Lance glared at him, but the effect was ruined by the three muffins stuffed in her mouth.

* * *

"Onee-sama, I still don't get it."

Belldandy glanced up from the bandages that she was carefully applying to Skuld's arm. "I've already told you, Skuld. I didn't know Bil would survive, either."

"I know. But I meant Hild. How much did she know?"

"Only she could tell you that. But I seriously doubt she would."

Skuld growled in frustration. "I HATE this! Does anything about this day make any sense at all?!"

Belldandy could see that Skuld wasn't going to get any rest being so worked up. "How about this? Ask me any one question, and I will answer it with complete honesty, if I am able."

"Do you regret leaving Keiichi?" Skuld asked at once.

"Yes, but wasn't that obvious?"

"Actually, no. You acted like it was part of your duty to leave him."

"Technically, it was."

"But you acted like you didn't mind it."

Belldandy hesitated before answering. "That was my choice. I assure you that I did mind."

"But you didn't EXPRESS that!"

"Skuld," Belldandy sighed, "there would have been no point. The Almighty knew my every thought. There was no need to express my displeasure when He was already aware of it."

"But there was a need. WE needed to know that you were upset. It was like you were dead inside."

"That was easier than expressing what I truly felt."

Skuld frowned. "Well, I don't like it when you're like that."

"Then I don't like it when you distance yourself from Urd and I," Belldandy countered. "She had a point, Skuld. You could've asked us for help. Did you think we would refuse you?"

"No, I knew you wouldn't. That's why I couldn't ask. I didn't want you to come with me."

"And because of that attitude, you'll have to stay in bed for the next few months, while Urd and I attend to you. Now, would you consider that fate, or getting what you deserve? Either way, you'd be stuck with us no matter what you did."

"But if you both had come with me, what are the chances we would've allowed Bil to die? She'd still wouldn't have access to her true power."

"But you forget, Skuld: it was Bil's fate to die, one way or another. It had nothing to do with what we would've allowed, but what had to be."

Skuld growled and buried her face in her pillow. "Nothing makes sense anymore!"

"Of course it does," Belldandy corrected with a smile, placing a tender kiss on top of Skuld's head. "Just not to you."

**The End.**

* * *

Endnotes:

In Norse mythology, Hjuki and Bil are twins that follow the moon across the heavens. The popular theory is that the nursery rhyme "Jack & Jill" is based on them.

Aurvandil is an Old Norse name whose root means "luminous wanderer." This is thought to originally be the name of the morning star, Eosphoros (which means "dawn-bearer"). In Greek mythology, Eosphoros is the brother of Hesperos, the evening star (whose Roman name is Vesper). Because they are both personifications of the planet Venus (at day and night, respectively), Eosphoros is sometimes called Phosphorous ("bearer of light," translated as Lucifer in Latin).


	9. Destination

**Notes: These notes will be wordy by necessity. If you choose to skip them and remain confused as a result, it's on your own head.**

Since I've gotten more complaints and questions than actual comments, I decided to add another chapter. But I'm going to stress something that I should've stressed from the start. The "source material" for this story is NOT the manga. It couldn't be, since I've only seen bits and pieces of it. I started this story after watching the subbed anime. Obviously, the anime is nowhere near as detail-heavy and developed as the manga, which actually works to my advantage. There's almost no mention of God, the goddesses as Norns, or demons beyond Hild, Mara, and a few familiars.

In other words, the BEST thing you can do to make this story simpler for your brain is to pretend you never, ever read the manga.

To anyone that made it this far, however, I'd like to thank you for giving this story a chance. If it didn't satisfy you, well, that's not surprising. It's my first (and most definitely last) story for this fandom.

* * *

**Broken Dreamers**

**An Oh! My Goddess Miniseries by**

**Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

**Part 9: Destination**

* * *

Hild had never quite understood the Almighty. Really, she had a hard time getting past the name itself: she didn't recall being in on the vote, frankly. On the occasions when they did talk, she almost always left feeling a little annoyed, or at the very least, tricked in some small way.

Maybe it was because He always came off as being so calm and all-knowing. Whether He was or not, He still had a great deal of self control, and it was surprisingly effective on virtually everyone He came in contact with. Hild had tried many times to get under His skin, with varying degrees of success and failure. So far, she had only gotten her visiting privileges revoked for a time, and even now they both understood that as being temporarily forgotten, for the moment.

Hild also did not particularly like tea, or at least not the flavors He always seemed to have on hand. But He always made it seem like she was being terribly rude, without seeming so himself, if she turned him down.

She'd had an appointment today, though. Which was a brief way of saying she'd demanded a meeting. In all likelihood, however, He'd been expecting that, considering recent events.

The meeting so far, though, was not so much a meeting as it was sitting across from each other and staring defiantly. Hild was not really expecting but still hoping for an apology. He, on the other hand, was just waiting for her patience to run out.

Hild sighed. "You're going to make me ask, aren't you?"

God said nothing, although He did take a rather long sip of tea.

"How is it that You don't mind losing the single most powerful angel in Heaven? And how did You know I wouldn't destroy it?"

"Aurvandil is not lost," He replied at once. "I've heard that you are treating it quite well, considering its crimes. As for how I knew you wouldn't destroy it, I suspected you wouldn't be able to resist keeping it for yourself."

"You don't even seem the slightest bit upset, though."

"Should I be?" He asked, seeming surprised. "In all the time that you've known Welsper, has he ever struck you as the sort of demon to follow orders, unless they somehow benefit him? That is his nature, and to expect him to act in any other way is the height of foolishness. It is a leader's task to know the minds of his followers. I am no exception."

Hild frowned at Him. "But that means that Aurvandil... You set it up. You knew it'd go that far. You Made it to do that!"

The Almighty shook His head. "I Made it to love and serve, the same as any of my children. How it chose to do that was solely up to it."

"But you tipped the scales! You made it more likely!"

"Aurvandil did only what I knew it was capable of. I ask that you not blame it for doing what it thought to be right and necessary."

Hild snorted. "Actually, I feel kind of sorry for it. At least Hell doesn't abandon its own."

The Almighty chuckled lightly. "True. You simply punish them, mercilessly if needed, until they learn."

"Well, they do!" Hild protested. "And nothing's worse than being alone!"

He shrugged slightly. "Did you honestly expect to understand or approve of this?"

"No," she sighed. "But it just seems wrong."

"That's to be expected. Try to look at the positive. Aurvandil lives for its purpose. You can give it a reason to go on existing."

"And help you carry out your Master Plan, right? Why would I do that?"

"How can you be so sure you aren't already aiding the Plan, or following it exactly as we speak? You've never seen it."

"Not for lack of trying," she muttered, pouting a little. "Why can't You write it down, or store it in a database like everyone else?"

"That would make things too easy for you. And I know how you love a challenge."

"You big tease. Fine, I guess I can overlook Bil's situation, since it turned out for the best. But I still can't believe you don't mind losing out on all that power. First the Norns and Lind, and now Aurvandil. You're giving up all the good chess pieces!"

"Am I?" the Almighty asked, smiling. "I'd say things are quite even."

Hild froze. "What does THAT mean?" she demanded.

"I expect great things from Bil one day."

"Don't get your hopes up. She's a demon."

"She was born a demon, yes. But she's died since then, and been reborn as an angel."

"But a demonic angel!" Hild insisted.

"True enough. She has properties of both, which, I think, makes her equally inclined to either side."

"Ha! Her parents are demons!"

"Her aunts are not."

Hild's face fell. "You... YOU PLANNED THIS!"

"Which part?" He asked absently.

"The... it... OOOH! I HATE YOU!" she squealed, stomping her foot.

"I'll see you next week, then?"

"Yeah, whatever," Hild grumbled, turning to leave.

"Hild," He added abruptly. "I have no right to ask this, but... please be kind to Aurvandil."

Hild glanced over her shoulder at Him, and was startled to see what might have been regret in His eyes. "You do still care, don't You?"

"A father cannot help but care for his children. Even those that have fallen, and especially those that have been cast down for a greater calling."

"Hey... was that an indirect compliment?"

He turned His back on her. "I'm sure I have no idea what you mean."

* * *

Hell was not what Aurvandil had expected.

The angel had been given a small, plain room that was in fairly good condition. It was locked from the outside, and even if it hadn't been, Aurvandil suspected that the new seals on its wrists, which looked like crimson circles, would've prevented escape somehow.

A week passed, slowly but surely, before the door opened again.

Aurvandil looked up (but not that much) to see one of Hild's small clones staring back. It reasoned that even in its present weakened condition, it could destroy the clone with little trouble. But this did not seem a wise course of action. The Daimakaicho would've prepared for that, and had obviously done this as a test.

The mini-Hild stepped in and shut the door behind her. She didn't appear at all alarmed to be alone with the angel.

"What do you want from me?" Aurvandil asked quietly.

"I'm just here to talk," she replied.

"I have nothing to say to you."

"That's fine. I didn't plan on doing too much listening." She paused only briefly before adding, "He won't come for you, you know."

The angel's eyes flashed angrily. "He will."

"But it's been a week."

"A mere test of my faith."

The mini-Hild sighed. "Maybe. But let's say you're wrong. Are you going to sit here and wait forever?"

"If I must."

"Well, that's stupid."

Aurvandil gritted its teeth. "I could destroy you easily."

"I'd be replaced within a few minutes. There would be no point. Do yourself a favor and listen."

"Why should I?"

"Because I know how you lost the Almighty's Favor."

The angel fell silent at that.

"It wasn't entirely your fault. You were Made to be proud of what you are, and to love your Maker. You didn't really do anything wrong... at least, nothing unexpected. And that's the problem, actually. You ended up exactly where you were supposed to."

"You speak nonsense."

She shook her head. "You didn't lose the Almighty's Favor. It was taken from you."

"LIES!" Aurvandil roared.

"Maybe. But how else do you explain losing it?"

"I... must have miscalculated somewhere... made an error in judgment."

"Possible," she allowed. "Where? When?"

"I don't know," the angel admitted softly. "I was certain the deaths of the children would distract the Daimakaicho and allow Heaven to increase its shares on Earth."

"I can see how that would work. And it did, actually. Well, you didn't kill anyone yourself, but we have reported a couple of losses over the past few days. So that's something for you to be happy about."

Aurvandil just stared at her.

"Okay, maybe not."

"Why haven't I been destroyed?" it whispered.

"I told you, none of this was your fault. It'd be like killing an innocent. Which, we're not really beyond, but in this case, I've taken a personal interest. I don't want to kill you. You should come work for me."

The sour expression on the angel's face didn't change at all. "I was meant to carry out my Master's Will. I cannot, will not serve another."

The mini-Hild shrugged. "You can either join up, or sit here and rot waiting on a rescue that may never come. It's up to you."

"I am not so easily swayed. He will come for me."

"Meanwhile, the kids you tried to kill are safe and happy. By the way, is that common practice in Heaven? If you ask me, it kinda has a negative swing to it. I can see how that wouldn't go over too well."

"One such as you could not hope to understand my Master's Will."

She smiled a smile that unnerved the angel on an instinctive level. "Oh, really? If anything, one such as me has the BEST chance of understanding it. I've known Him longer, and I know things about Him even you might not believe. More than that, even I've been one of His pawns before, so what makes you think you're so special? For example, in your heart of hearts, do you genuinely believe that He'd approve of you, or anyone else, killing those kids?"

Aurvandil had had plenty of time to think on that since he'd been brought to Hell. The slaughter of innocents, even those belonging to demonkind, had never been a frequent thing. In most cases, it was just that they got caught up in the punishment of many more wicked people. They were almost never singled out and targeted. Certainly that made sense now, but so had Aurvandil's reasoning back when it was trying to please its Maker. What had changed?

"Don't worry," the mini-Hild said quietly. "If you could answer that question so easily, I'd already have killed you. That you can't means there's something worth salvaging."

The angel shook its head violently. "This IS my purpose. I am to carry out my Master's Will." It sounded less uncertain this time, though.

"Okay," she agreed readily enough. "By the way, what is it, exactly?"

Aurvandil glared at her.

"I'm curious! You really think it's part of His Will that you stay here until He comes to get you?"

"Yes. I already told you, this is a test of my faith. Why do you find that so difficult to believe?"

The mini-Hild shrugged. "Let's face it, kid: my people aren't as trusting as yours. Which might go a long way in explaining why He has never set foot here. Ever. Too much trouble, and far easier for me to go to Him. And it's not like I haven't invited Him over for coffee. So if He wouldn't come for me, one of the few entities that can threaten Him, why would He come for you?"

"He will."

She rolled her eyes. "So He just goes around blabbing His Will to all of His Chosen, is that it?"

"He... no," Aurvandil said quietly.

"Then He only told you, right?"

"...no."

"So you don't actually know for sure what's in His Will, do you?"

"But I was entrusted to carry out my Master's Will!"

"And I'm sure you did that fabulously, for a time. But that either means you're no longer carrying it out, or you still are. So either that means He can't be bothered to correct you on your wrongdoing, or you're exactly where He meant for you to be. Sounds like a brush-off to me no matter how you look at it."

The room suddenly became somewhat darker, and she noticed that whatever heavenly light Aurvandil's body had been giving off all this time had begun to fade. Either it had been away too long, or its faith was failing it. But the angel still had its pride.

Only after she'd left the room did she hear an unearthly shriek of pain, loss, and hopelessness. Had she been a lesser being, she might have shed tears for the next seven years. Instead, the mini-Hild only smiled and skipped off to report to her own maker.

* * *

Although Hild had repaired the damage to the temple in just a matter of minutes, Peorth felt there was much more that needed to be done. Aurvandil's attack, as well as Bil's death and rebirth, had opened her eyes. They had been completely unprepared for the angel's attack, and had technically lost Bil, if only for a few moments. But nothing would ever erase the sight of Bil dying from Hjuki's mind, so it had been real enough. No matter how many times they assured him that she was fine now, he would still call her out at random, just to make sure that was true.

That was really only part of the problem. Bil had known she wouldn't survive the fight with Aurvandil. No one had needed to tell her that, either: she'd watched the angel defeat Skuld, and it only took a little common sense to connect the dots from there. But in her last act alive, Bil had instinctively tried to force all of her hidden power into her brother, hoping it would help him survive. Instead, all she'd done was transfer her seals over to him. This turned out to be a good thing, because with Bil's power added to his own, Hjuki was twice as powerful, but even more accident-prone.

Bil appeared to have handled the adjustment better than her brother. Upon being called out, she would immediately drape herself around his shoulders, as if sensing his need to be close to her. Curiously, during the day, she was often tired and reluctant to move much, while at night it was difficult to keep her still for more than a few seconds. Hild reasoned that, similar to Keiichi, Bil drew the bulk of her power from the stars or the moon, to the point where she could stay out and awake while Hjuki slept. Keiichi and Peorth took turns staying up with her, with their own angels out. Bil was especially fond of Broken Dreamer, who had begun to appear exclusively as Peorth since Bil's death. Peorth herself never said anything about the change, and she didn't have to. It was proof enough of who Keiichi's heart belonged to.

Even though Peorth kept a much closer eye on her children now, she had thought the same would apply to the Norns as well. But their visits stopped with no warning. At least, that was what Peorth thought at first. Yet Hjuki's anger at Skuld faded rapidly, and he still talked about his "aunts" as if he saw them all the time. It wasn't until Bil developed an odd fascination for mirrors that Peorth realized the truth. The Norns had been appearing to her children, but allowing no one else around the temple to see them do so. For all she knew, they never left. Peorth wasn't sure if she was relieved that they were still around, annoyed that they were doing it behind her back, or angry that not one of them had visited her yet.

She made a point to mention her feelings to Hild, though, and less than a week later, Peorth walked outside in the middle of the night to find Belldandy, Holy Bell, and Blue Lance admiring the rosebushes. Welsper stood nearby, looking predictably bored.

"You realize that if any of us were normal people," Peorth sighed, "this would be the part where I called the police, right?"

"Call them. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll chase us away," Welsper murmured, getting a look from both Belldandy and Blue Lance. "I hate that you've trained her to do that, by the way."

Belldandy looked shocked at the accusation. "I did no such thing."

"There's no way you didn't! She gives me that 'Bell' look every time I say three words!"

"Then maybe you should learn to apply a little discipline your mouth." That might have been more convincing, however, if Blue Lance hadn't nodded in perfect time with Belldandy and Holy Bell.

Welsper threw a pitiful look at Peorth. "See what I have to live with?"

Peorth decided to take some pity on him (not that he especially deserved it, but it was three against one) and called out Glamorous Rose. Blue Lance was overjoyed to see an angel so similar to herself, and Holy Bell seemed happy for no other reason than she was Belldandy's angel, so they all got along famously.

"So. You're here," Peorth noted, staring at Belldandy as if she might vanish. "And visible, no less. What, did you flub the spell that makes me unable to see you?"

Belldandy frowned. "Peorth, I came to see you."

"Guess I should be glad you still remember my name."

"I've missed you, too, Peorth."

"Oh, be quiet. It's hard enough to stay mad at you without you being genuinely sorry."

"I am," Belldandy insisted. "It's just that it really is better to limit our interaction with others. We can't really help that in Bil's case, we were all so concerned. But we knew not to worry about you."

Peorth rolled her eyes. "Nice, Belldandy. If this is how our visits are going to go from now on, do me a favor and just stay invisible."

"I know you don't mean that. Glamorous Rose is far too happy to see us, which means you are, too."

Peorth cleared her throat at looked away. "Hild told me something interesting the other day. She said you couldn't have told me that it was okay for Bil to die, because you didn't know she'd be reborn. Is that true?"

Belldandy nodded. "We only handle the lives of mortals on Earth. The moment Bil died, we were no longer allowed to influence her fate. Special cases like that are handled by someone I'm not familiar with. At any rate, Hild-san knew far more than we did. I don't know if it was her right, or if she went to some lengths to obtain the needed information, but I'm glad she knew."

"Whatever happened to Aurvandil? Hild won't tell me."

"I'm fairly certain it's going to work for her for the rest of its existence. But it doesn't go by that name anymore. The last I heard, it was calling itself Lucifer. Or at least Hild-san was."

Peorth shook her head. "I can't say I'm shocked. Hopefully, being on the same side means we aren't targets anymore."

"That reminds me, you should step up Bil's magic training. Through some... trial and error, we discovered that her element is earth, too."

"Right. What did you wreck?"

"Nothing that wasn't immediately repaired or deeply buried."

Peorth took several deep breaths. "Okay. But if you're going to be breaking my stuff, the least you could do is make yourself visible beforehand so I have a chance to see you do it and yell at you."

"I can agree to that. I'm not sure how Urd and Skuld will-"

"Then get them to agree, and I know you can."

"Fair enough."

Peorth stared at her for a moment. "Belldandy, tell me something. When Bil was reborn, Urd and Skuld were really shocked. But you... seemed more composed. Like you weren't all that surprised."

"I was," Belldandy disagreed. "Just not to the extent they were."

"Why is that?"

"You are a former goddess. Keiichi is loved by several goddesses. Virtually anything is possible for your children. I suspect more than a few people are aware of that."

Peorth sighed heavily and rubbed her face. "Belldandy, if you intend to stand there and tell me that this was all planned out by someone, I'm going to hit you."

"I was only going to say that Hjuki and Bil are very special children."

Peorth glared at her. "But you were really going to mean it the first way, right?"

"Actually, I meant that few people ever have personal relationships with both the Daimakaicho and three Fates."

"Yeah. Sure. You still like tea?"

"I do."

"And him?" Peorth asked, nodding at Welsper, who had sat down next to a rosebush and dozed off.

"We should leave him here, but Blue Lance would be lonely." Belldandy nudged Welsper with her foot.

He opened one eye. "Are you in danger?"

"No."

The eye closed. "Good night, then."

Belldandy nudged him a little harder. "You can sleep inside."

"Or I could sleep here."

"I'm not going to ask again."

"That should make it even easier for me to sleep, then."

Belldandy shook her head and whispered something to Peorth, who gave her an odd look.

"What?"

"Just say it as we're walking away. Trust me."

"Okay." Peorth started back towards the temple with Belldandy, calling over her shoulder, "We've got muffins!"

There was a surprisingly loud thump, and then Blue Lance streaked past them, dragging a screaming Welsper by his ankles.

"...do I even want to know?" Peorth asked.

Belldandy smiled. "Probably."

**The (Real) End.**

* * *

Endnotes:

That's it. There's no more. For real this time. If you still have questions, ask them. I only ask that you read the notes at the start of this chapter before you do, if you expect a response.


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